2010 Bentley Supersports Biofuel

Bentley model with W12 engine operating on alcohol mixture of E85, was high-speed tests at N?rburgring. Bentley Continental Supersports Biofuel - new rear bumper, new exhaust pipes and air ducts at the edges of larger diameter front bumper.

Bentley Continental Supersports For 2010

You have cash to burn, successful career on autopilot and the mansion is finally mortgage-free, you’re in the market for a new car, one that speaks to your success and station in the community. But, you’re also in full mid-life crisis, sentimental for the tearaway youthfulness you now regret suppressing every time you open that second bottle of Chateau Lafite. Indeed, in your last act of impetuousness before children and creeping maturity reared their ugly heads, you owned an Aston Martin. Not one of these new namby-pamby ones, what with their button-down engineering and sophisticated electronics, but a real he-man-of-yesteryear Vantage with eight thundering pistons, a rock-crunching transmission and coil springs stiff enough to suspend the Golden Gate Bridge.

So, you head down to your friendly neighborhood British luxury car dealership only to find that the Aston’s oh-so-low seats that once gripped as you sported about now have you screaming about your arthritic back. As lovely as all sumptuous leather and V12 cacophony is, rampant lust is of no use if you can’t climb into the bed. What to do? You certainly don’t want to head to your friendly Audi, BMW or Mercedes dealers. Ruthlessly engineered their cars may be, but Teutonic efficiency is not nearly as welcoming as British warmth. Besides, everyone has an AMG or M5 parked in their garage and separating yourself from the herd is why you file all those litigious torts.

What about Bentley? Yes, there’s an entire spate of German engineering to its underpinnings, but it’s at least outfitted like a proper English motorcar. And, unlike the Aston, it’s not nearly as hard on geriatric spinal columns. But that’s to be expected, no? Bentleys, after all, are not nearly as sporty as Aston Martins.

That would have been true right up until, well, last week, when I popped into Grand Touring Automobiles, my local Aston/Bentley dealer, and spotted a brand new Continental Supersports conveniently tagged with dealer plates and no scheduled customer test drives for the next three days. For those unfamiliar with this latest Continental, the Supersports is, quite literally, the philosophical progeny of W.O. Bentley’s famed monsters that dominated Le Mans during the 1920s.

2011 Bentley Mulsanne Full Specifications

The Mulsanne is powered by a 6.75-liter V-8 engine rated at 505 horsepower and 752 pound-feet of torque, coming at just 1800 rpm. The car features a range of driving dynamics settings for its air suspension system. The dimensions of the car measure- 219 inches (18.25 feet) in length, 75.8 inches in width, 60 inches in height and weighs in at 5700 pounds.

The car is equipped with many hand-made parts, including the fillet of metal below the rear window. Bentley officials claim that the new car gets the “technological feel of the Continental models with the prestige of the Arnage.” The car has been provided an entirely new platform, thus giving the car a much more modern and expensive look. The average building time for one Mulsanne is 400 hours, among which 200 hours is reserved for hand building. This is about 15 percent longer than the previous Arnage.

Bentley Mulsanne in Europe

Bentley's newest luxury car, the Mulsanne, has been showcased for the first time in Europe at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Crewe-based manufacturer is positioning the Mulsanne as its flagship model, above the Continental Flying Spur.

The grand tourer's design is said to be based on the famed 1950s Bentley S-Type, but with an ultra-modern makeover.

It integrates the most advanced engineering technologies and luxury materials, with new-age features including LED lights and a state-of-the-art "infotainment" system.

Bentley introduces flex-fuel super sports convertible

The Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible (which we originally told you about here) offers the same 621bhp, twin-turbocharged W12 engine as the coupe version that was introduced in 2009 and is the fastest and most powerful drop-top the company has ever produced. Yet, remarkably, it can run on either petrol and E85 bioethanol, or even a combination of both.

Bentley has made an ongoing commitment to make its vehicles biofuel capable by 2012. E85 biofuel has a high octane rating of 105 but a lower energy content compared to petrol and requires a 30 per cent increase in the engine fuel flow rate. This meant that a complete review of the fuel system was required to identify, and replace as appropriate, any components deemed unsuitable.

A fuel quality sensor is used to detect the blend ratio of the fuel in real time and send a signal to the engine control unit. This keeps performance parameters consistent and with the flexfuel technology in full use, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions can be reduced by as much as 70 per cent.

All of these environmental improvements do not mean there has been a sacrifice in performance, however. The six litre W12 engine produces 621bhp at 6,000rpm and 800Nm of torque at 2,000-4,500rpm. The Continental Supersports Convertible can race from 0-60mph in just 3.9seconds, and boasts an impressive top speed of 202mph making it the fastest four-seat convertible in the world.

Bentley breaks world record

Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible.

Owners of convertibles will never view their cars in the same way again - Bentley's new Continental Supersports will make sure of that.

The Continental Supersports Convertible is the fastest, most potent drop top that Bentley has ever built. Capable of 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 325km/h, it is also the fastest four-seat convertible in the world.

This muscular vehicle is unmistakably Bentley in design and craftsmanship but its cabin is a dramatic re-interpretation of the marque’s definition of luxury. Satin-finished carbon fibre, Alcantara and 'soft grip' leather all combine in a very contemporary manner.

Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible

Bentley Continental Supersports

The new Continental Supersports Convertible is not only Bentley’s fastest open-top car ever (0-60mph in 3.9 seconds; top speed of 202mph), it’s also the fastest four-seat convertible in the world.
It is powered by the same 621bhp twin-turbocharged W12 that lurks under the bonnet of the Continental Supersports Coupé, launched in 2009, and – as with all models in the Continental range – can run on both petrol and E85 bioethanol. Or any combination of the two.

The styling is described by Bentley as ‘muscular’, with an interior that re-interprets Bentley luxury using satin-finished carbonfibre, Alcantara™ and ‘Soft Grip’ leather. Overall, the engineers have managed a weight saving of 90kg against the GTC Speed.



Prices have not yet been announced but Bentley has released many technical and design details in advance of the Geneva unveiling:

* Revised ZF 6HP26 transmission with ‘Quickshift’ system that cuts shift times by 50% and enables double downshifts
* New 40/60 rear-biased torque split for the all-wheel drive system reduces understeer when powering out of bends and provides for better modulation of line and attitude by ‘throttle steering’
* Retuned Continuous Damping Control (CDC) system, stiffer suspension bushes and uprated rear anti-roll bar benefit body control, steering response, turn-in and balance
* Increased 50mm rear track improves grip and stability
* Lightweight, 20-inch, 10-spoke alloy wheels offer 10kg weight saving per car, reducing unsprung and rotating mass and improving brake cooling
* 275/35 ZR20 Pirelli Ultra High Performance tyres
* Advanced ESP system
* Standard-fit carbon-ceramic brakes provide fade-free braking and contribute a 20kg reduction in rotating and unsprung mass from the front axle
* Distinctive centre air-intake and vertical grilles feed larger volume of air (+ 10%) to turbocharger intercoolers while bonnet vents extract hot air from engine bay
* Subtly curved rear wheelarches with newly tooled side panels accommodate increased rear track of the uprated chassis and provide muscular stance
* Distinctive ‘smoked steel finish’ to all exterior ‘brightware’, including the first automotive application of ‘Physical Vapour Deposition’ to stainless steel
* Larger, twin elliptical exhaust tailpipes and rear valance with discreet vertical divider