THINK open-top Bentley and the mighty 4.5-litre Blower model of the Twenties might spring to mind. Packing enormous attitude with a vast supercharger poking out of the front, it’s one of the company’s all-time great cars.
Fast forward to 2010, and there’s a pretender to that crown – the Supersports Convertible. Claimed to be the world’s fastest-ever four-seat drop-top, it’s also the quickest open-air car in the firm’s history, thanks to its twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 which it shares with its hard-top sibling.
It produces 621bhp and 800Nm of torque but crucially, in these environmentally conscious days, the Supersports runs on petrol or E85 bioethanol. It still returns a 0-60mph dash of 3.9 seconds, and is in that rarefied club of cars topping 200mph, no matter which fuel you put in the tank. While both the Coupé and Convertible are positioned as the marque’s ‘extreme’ performers, Bentley is now keen to stress the more sociable nature of its drop-top which – unlike the two-seater Coupé – has seating for four and a triple-quilted electricallyoperated hood for refinement.
There’s no denying the Supersports Convertible has the wow factor in spades.
With 20-inch Smoked Steel wheels shod in Pirelli Ultra-High Performance tyres, flared wings to accommodate the two-inch wider rear track, a bluff nose and low-slung aggressive lines, there is a real hint of menace, too.
In place of the usual plump Bentley armchairs are race-style, carbon fibre seats that look positively skeletal, but are actually supportive and comfortable and help the car lose 45kg, while the wheels are 10kg lighter. Massive carbon-ceramic brakes strip away another 20kg, reducing weight overall by 98kg compared to the GTC Speed Convertible.
On the move, the effects of this diet are obvious, making the 2,395kg Bentley more nimble and responsive than its GTC Speed counterpart. The steering is more taut and direct, even if more feedback wouldn’t hurt.
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