Tuesday, March 19, 2024 Mar 19, 2024
44° F Dallas, TX
Advertisement
Business

Car Review: Bentley Continental Supersports

Speed away in this ultimate English performance vehicle.
By |
Image
photography courtesy of Bentley

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Forget the stereotype of the heavy stately British sedan with the fussy guy in the backseat, asking for some Grey Poupon. The new Bentley Continental Supersports is a different animal, except maybe for the heavy part. While it’s still a porker, at 4,800 pounds, the Supersports is built, oddly enough, for going very fast. Like, 204 mph fast. Outfitted with a sports suspension that can be set for a “comfort” ride as well, it’s the ultimate His and Hers car. He tears it up late nights on the tollway; she glides in it to the Chanel Boutique in HPV the next day.

BOTTOM LINE: Based on Bentley’s Continental GT, the all-wheel-drive Supersports has been trimmed down—and tuned up–to enable some un-Bentley-like performance. (Indeed, the entire rear seat has been removed to hold down the weight.) Think carbon-shelled racing bucket seats; huge, carbon-ceramic brakes; and gloss-black, 20-inch wheels, and you begin to get the idea.

The strategy pays off behind the 3-spoke, hide-trimmed steering wheel. A 6-speed, automatic “quickshift” transmission gets paired in the Supersports with a 6-liter, 12-cylinder powerplant, generating an unbelievable 621 horses and 590 pound-feet of torque. The result: zero to 60 in just 3.7 seconds.

The interior’s no laggard, either, with electronic climate controls, a rear-view camera, and ultra-soft cowhide surfaces. One surprise: the manual seat adjustments. While that’s in keeping with the racing motif, it’s also a little shocking in a car costing—wait for it—more than $273,000.

TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY: A so-called “fusion of extremes,” this coupe will be considered way too expensive, and maybe too menacing-looking, by some. They should consider thriftier, less threatening rides. Alternatively, as one of our valet parkers remarked of this fastest Bentley ever: “It is swee-eee-eet!” If you’re a “performance” nut who likes your cars unique—and can afford to pay the price of a nice little Oak Lawn condo—the Bentley Supersports may be just your cup of (English) tea.

Related Articles

Image
Business

At Parkland Health, the End of Subjective Surgery

Artificial intelligence is helping trauma surgery teams make data-based decisions about when to operate at Dallas County's safety net hospital.
Advertisement