Next-gen Supersports on tap for 2014
Bentley is planning to launch a 650-hp
Continental Supersports model as soon as 2014, featuring carbon-fiber panels
and a stiffer chassis.
2010
Bentley Continental Supersports
A similar model was launched in autumn 2008
to coincide with the run-out of the previous Continental, though it was only
available for a few U.S. model years (coupe 2010-11, convertible 2011-12).
Bentley wants the Supersports to be on sale for at least four years, until the
next-generation Continental is launched around 2018.
Current thinking suggests the coupe and
convertible versions would be launched closer together. The two variants of the
previous-gen Supersports went to market about nine months apart, limiting
appeal in markets on the West Coast and Florida, where convertibles sell in big
numbers.
The Supersports would also bridge the gap
between today’s 6161-hp Speed and the eagerly anticipated 675-plus-hp
road-going Continental GT3 that Bentley plans to launch in 2015 alongside a
race-ready Continental GT3 customer car. The racer is already in development
with former rally drover Malcolm Wilson’s M-Sport operation in the United
Kingdom.
The Supersports would focus on cutting
weight, quicker gear changes, revising the chassis settings and improving
braking power. Modifications point toward a driving experience with sharper
steering and handling, firmer body control and a sportier exhaust note.
These attributes would define the car as an
athlete, rather than simply ratcheting up the engine’s output. “There is a
limit to how much power can sensibly be extracted, so the Supersports wouldn’t
be all about pure power,” Bentley sources say.
“There
is a limit to how much power can sensibly be extracted, so the Supersports
wouldn’t be all about pure power,”
To slim down the car as much as possible,
it will have lightweight composite seats, and it’s possible the rear seats
could even be deleted. Wheels are expected to be lighter and have a larger
diameter to improve handling. Plus, look for a quick-shift program for the ZF
eight-speed transmission, which would help cut the 0-60-mph time and
acceleration at speed.
