*NOW UPDATED WITH VIDEO* The new 700bhp Supersports is the fastest accelerating Bentley Continental ever, as well as the model’s swansong
| Continental Supersports | Engine | Power | Torque | 0-100kph | Top speed | Weight | Basic price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coupe | W12, twin-turbo, 5998cc | 700bhp @ 6,000rpm | 1017Nm (750lb ft) @ 2,050 – 4,500rpm | 3.5sec | 336kph | 2280kg (307bhp/ton) | $265,000 |
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700bhp. That is the power being produced by the 6-litre twin-turbocharged W12 in the new Bentley Continental Supersports, the fastest four-seater saloon on the planet. Which is pretty insane, when you think about it. That’s just a shade under the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat’s 707bhp and the Ferrari F12berlinetta’s 730bhp, and, somehow, more powerful than the 690bhp Lamborghini Aventador (2.9 secs), 661bhp Ferrari 488 Speciale (3 secs), 666bhp McLaren 675LT (2.9 secs) AND 600bhp Aston Martin DB11 (3.9 secs). Moreover, despite weighing 2280kg, 700bhp and 1017Nm (750lb ft) of torque is enough to shift the new Supersports from 0-100kph in just 3.5 seconds and on to a 336kph top speed. So…yeah, the new Supersports is a sprightly minx.
From where has this new power come from you might be asking? Lift the expensive lid – psst, $260K – and the established W12 has been kitted out with new higher-capacity turbochargers, a revised air-cooling system and an updated torque converter, leading to a 125bhp increase over the ‘base’ W12 Continental GT.
Further mechanical upgrades include new carbon ceramic disc brakes and a 20kg weight drop, making the new Supersports both the lightest and fastest accelerating Continental yet. Handling has also been a key consideration, the Supersports featuring the same torque vectoring system as found on the performance-focused Continental GT3-R, allowing individual front and rear wheel braking during acceleration out of corners. The suspension meanwhile has been lowered and stiffened for improved road-holding, while the four-wheel drive system retains the 60:40 torque split for heightened acceleration.
The exterior tweaks meanwhile are limited, the main highlights being new front and rear bumpers, a gloss-black tailpipe, dark-tint lights and new lightweight 21in alloys. Inside, the cabin features new diamond-quilted leather seats and door panels, plus carbon fibre fascia panels. Sitting alongside the new Supersports coupe is a similarly-powered $287,500 convertible, which hits 0-100kph just three tenths slower and a 330kph top speed.
It’s a fitting swansong to the current Continental generation, which first arrived back in 2011, and ahead of the new model’s global debut in 2018.
