Bentley Continental Supersports, Improved Gearbox And Suspension

A two-seater from Bentley? If you were expecting a mid-engined coupe loosely linked to the Le Mans car you're in for a disappointment. However, if you want a solid smooth riding car that can get you to 100 mph in less than 9 seconds, and hurtle on to 200 mph , then this is for you.

Why two seats? Well, in the 1920s Bentley produced a model called the Supersports which was a two-seater version of a four-seater. Otherwise, removing the rear seats and putting in a luggage shelf does little other than make the car less useful while saving 100 lb (45 kg) in weight.

Not just to make it look sporty, but for practical reasons, there are deep air intakes at the side of the main grille art the front and air outlets from the engine compartment. These do make the car look more aggressive and high-powered, and the only other changes are slightly wider fenders to provide room for bigger wheels and a revised rear end.

Those large air intakes at the front feed cool air directly to the twin inter coolers, while the air outlets reduce front-end lift.

Lighter (slightly), very fast

Altogether, weight is reduced by 240 lb (110 kg), which would not be so bad if the car Continental were not so heavy to start with the new car weighs in at 4,939 lbs (2,240 kg). That is very heavy.

Nevertheless, this is a very desirable and extremely quick car that, despite the weight, can race to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, and hit 204 mph, thanks to an even more powerful version of the W-12 engine shared with the Audi A8.

Larger turbo, massive torque

With larger turbos to increase boost, the new engine develops 621 bhp (463 kW) @ 6,000 rpm, with a prodigious amount of torque at almost any speed - 590 lb ft (800 Nm) @ 1,700 to 5,600 rpm. The engine is coupled to an upgraded version of the ZF six-speed automatic, which has faster shifts thanks to the reduction of torque momentarily when upward shifts are made.

This approach is in direct contrast to the delivery of full torque during shifts of the modern twin-clutch transmissions, but with this much power available no time is lost.

Upgraded suspension

To suit the sporty aspirations of the Supersports, the continuously variable damping has been altered, suspension bushes stiffened, and the anti-roll bars are thicker. The car rides 0.4 in(10 mm) lower at the front, and 0.6 in (15 mm) lower at the rear very modest lowering.

The really good news about the Supersports is that it gets the latest four-wheel drive set-up, with 60% of torque going to the rear wheels, and 40% to the front. This set-up cuts the tendency to excessive under steer of the standard Continental GT, and will make the car handle much better.

To complete the changes to the chassis, huge carbon-ceramic brakes are standard, while lightweight 20-inch wheels but are they lighter than 19-inch ones? - are shod with Pirelli 275/35 R20 tires, which will give plenty of grip.

Any proportion of bio fuel

Finally, with the Continental Supersports, Bentley moves into the bio fuel era, since the engine and fuel system have been re-engineered to run on any combination of gasoline and bio fuel and still deliver the same performance. 

This involves a major redesign of the fuel system and controller. Without doubt, the Bentley Continental Supersports is a superb supercar, but what a pity it could not have been shortened in the wheelbase by a 12 inch (300 mm) so that it was at least 500-600 lb (230-270 kg) lighter, with aluminum or carbon fiber external panels.

In the financial environment we now live in, not very likely I'm afraid. In fact, as it is, no doubt such a heavy and powerful car will be seen as a bit of dinosaur in some quarters. Nevertheless, a very exciting car.