2011 Bentley Continental Supersports gains a new convertible stablemate (reviewed separately) but the coupe returns unchanged.
The 2011 Bentley Continental Supersports seems trapped between two disparate worlds. Furthermore, it's fairly likely that the next Continental Supersports will adopt many of the 2012 Continental GT's improvements.
The 2011 Bentley Continental Supersports is a two-seat high-performance version of the Continental GT coupe that is offered in a single well-appointed trim level.
There are fewer options available on the lightweight, performance-oriented Supersports compared to the regular GT.
The 2011 Bentley Continental Supersports is powered by a 6.0-liter W12 that produces a whopping 621 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. All-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic transmission are standard. In Edmunds performance testing, the Supersports hit 60 mph from a standstill in 3.8 seconds on its way to its stated top speed of 204 mph. Standard safety features for the Continental Supersports include antilock carbon-ceramic disc brakes, stability and traction control, and side curtain airbags.
Seat issues aside, the Supersports' interior is as beautifully made as any other Bentley.
Tipping the scales at approximately 5,000 pounds, the 2011 Bentley Continental Supersports is no featherweight.
The trouble with the 2011 Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible is that it doesn't look like an exotic high-performance car.
"The idea of a Bentley is not either-or," says Franz-Joseph Paefgen, Bentley's chairman and CEO. The zero to 60 miles an hour acceleration time is 3.9 seconds, according to Bentley's tests, and the top speed is 202 miles an hour. Twin turbochargers force-feed cubic acres of air into the cylinders to produce the engine's 590 pounds-feet of torque.
The rear-biased all-wheel drive is automatic and unobtrusive. The convertible top is multilayered fabric, which avoids a trend among some other luxury cars whose convertibles have folding metal tops. But the Bentley people say their customers prefer soft tops because it demonstrates conclusively that they can afford both a convertible and a hard top coupe. The company’s research shows that, on average, Bentley buyers keep their cars only about 18 months.
With its exotic engineering, the Bentley Supersports has only a few negatives in addition to its hefty price tag. With the introduction of the Supersports convertible, Bentley now has a full sports-car house. There are three hard tops and three convertibles in GT, GT Speed and Supersports versions.
The Supersports is the extreme Bentley convertible, offering a highly focussed, pure Bentley driving experience. The Continental Supersports Convertible further strengthens Bentley’s supercar range, following the introduction of the Continental Supersports Coupé in 2009. The new Supersports Convertible, with the same 630PS (621bhp/463kW) twin-turbocharged W12 engine, is the fastest, most potent drop top Bentley has ever built, offering the ultimate Bentley driving experience in the world’s most dramatic convertible.
“The new Supersports Convertible blends thrilling performance and dramatic styling with luxury and practicality in the Bentley open-top tradition. Extreme power combines with pioneering FlexFuel technology, now shared with all Continental models, reflecting Bentley’s ongoing commitment to more environmental motoring.”
The new Continental Supersports Convertible is a car that must be driven to be fully understood. A highly focussed, pure Bentley driving experience
