Bentley will put its fastest, most powerful soft-top offering ever on sale this summer. Called the Bentley Supersports Convertible, the new car follows on from the
Bentley Supersports Coupe
The Supersports moniker, which is intended to evoke the spirit of the 1925 race-bred 85bhp 'Supersports' version of the famous 3-litre, is applied only to the fastest of Bentleys, and the Supersports convertible certainly delivers on that front.
Like the coupe, the 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 pumps out 621bhp at 6000rpm and 590lb ft of torque between 2000 and 4500rpm.
Coupled to a weight reduction of 90kg over the Continental GTC Speed, Bentley reckons that's enough to get the Conti to 60mph in 3.9secs, to 100mph in 9.6secs, and on to a terminal velocity of 202mph. And who are we to argue?
The weight savings over the original car's 2485kg kerb weight comes courtesy of lightweight 20-inch alloys and standard-fit carbon-ceramic brakes.
To help cope with the extra poke, the ZF '6HP26' gearbox has had its shift times cut by 50 per cent, while the four-wheel-drive system now has a rear-biased 40-60 torque split, a rear track increased by 50mm, and a retuned Continuous Damping Control (CDC) system that offers stiffer suspension bushes and an uprated rear anti-roll bar.
Like the Supersports coupe, the Continental Supersports Convertible also receives Bentley's FlexFuel tech, which allows the big conti to run on E85 bioethanol. Bentley says that this cuts 'well to wheel' emissions by up to 70 per cent. And Bentley owners had better get used to it - it'll be standard on all Continentals from 2011.
The big Benters makes its public debut at the Geneva motor show in March.
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