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Fuel Economy Meets Performance
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At this year’s Geneva Motor Show, Bentley will introduce its first ever FlexFuel capable vehicle that also lives up to the luxury and performance of a Bentley: the 621-horsepower, E85-ready Continental Supersports.
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The All-New Bentley Continental Supersports
By: Jeffrey N. Ross, Autotropolis Editor
Following up Bentley’s recent 50-year celebration of the legendary 6.75-liter V-8, the company is readying a new model powered that focuses being green. The all-new Bentley Continental Supersports will be Bentley’s first vehicle ever to run on bio-fuel, and it marks the first phase in an initiative planned to spread the technology across its entire lineup by 2012. The goal is to reduce carbon emissions of its overall fleet by 15 percent and, with its advanced powertrain technology, help cut fuel consumption by up to 40 percent. As far as performance is concerned, Bentley calls its new Continental Supersports coupe the company’s “fastest, most powerful car ever.” Short of the electric-powered Fisker Karma, the Continental Supersports, being such a powerful car that also takes the environment into consideration, should revolutionize luxury sport cars.
| The technology debuting on the Continental Supersports will spread across Bentley’s entire vehicle lineup by 2012 helping to reduce the fleet’s carbon emissions and cut fuel consumption.
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The Continental Supersports will mark the first use of FlexFuel technology in a Bentley vehicle to which the company believes that bioethanol fuels, such as E85 in the United States, will become a sustainable and ethical alternative to fossil fuels in the future. From well to wheel, the Continental Supersports offers a net reduction of harmful CO2 emissions by 70 percent. When it comes to Bentley’s claim of the Continental Supersports being “the fastest, most powerful Bentley ever,” well the car’s twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 engine puts out 621 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque and propels this mean, green machine from 0-60 miles per hour in just 3.7 seconds and reaches a top speed of 204 mph.
The overall shape of the newest Continental is mostly the same as the “regular” Continental GT, but the Supersports gets a new face, some fancy wheels and an even fancier interior. To feed air to the superchargers’ intercoolers, Bentley gave the Continental Supersports a unique fascia with vertical vents for improved air flow. The bonnet vents on the hood also help with air flow by removing hot air from the W12’s engine bay. Smoked headlamps finish off the aggressive new look, while the exclusive alloy wheels help reveal the performance nature of the new Bentley by showing off large carbon ceramic brake discs. Out back, uniquely shaped, oval exhaust outlets and smoked taillight lenses further add to the car’s distinctive looks. For added safety and a slightly sportier look, the Continental Supersports features an 8 mm decklid spoiler for added stability at high speeds. Inside, the two-passenger Bentley has a cabin that features the extensive use of carbon fiber for weight reduction and Alcantara™ to provide a comfortable and luxurious environment. Bentley aims to emphasize the importance of its Continental Supersports by offering the car in exclusive new color and materials never before seen on a Bentley.
The Continental Supersports is set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month with sales commencing worldwide this fall, but it probably won’t make it to the United States until the 2011 model year.
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