Reviews
Gallery 1
Make no mistake, Bentley’s most potent road-going engine makes your head spin – 1017Nm of torque kind of does that to you.
However, at 2280kg, the second-generation Continental Supersports needs every bit of that pulling power and all of its 522kW. Better head for the open highway, and not a twisty back road, then.
Launched in 2004, the Continental still utilises a conventional, leather-clad key. Twist it, hit the starter button and the 12 cylinders, arranged in a W configuration, fire into life.
Despite its sizeable girth and weight, the all-wheel drive luxury coupe hits 100km/h from rest in a mere 3.5 seconds. And while the maximum speed is an equally imposing 336km/h, the claimed average fuel consumption of 15.7L/100km is the result of the headline figures.
Interestingly, because 58 per cent of the kerb weight rests on the front axle, putting a lot of stress on the front tyres under heavy braking, pressures have to be raised to hit the impressive V-max.
With amazing low-end grunt, ample mid-range punch and incredibly long legs, the Bentley devours the two 240km/h straights. And even with the dinner-plate sized carbon ceramic brakes underfoot, they struggle to arrest the substantial momentum.
While the Pirelli P Zeros (275/35 R21 all-round) didn’t heat up as quickly as feared, they tended to run the Conti wide whenever the mighty mauler attempted to throw in extra cornering forces. Despite all-wheel drive, a raft of stability tech and torque vectoring, the super coupe requires plenty of patience and sensitive throttle inputs to hit an apex. But let’s face it, this car was designed for the cafe-racer and the fashionista, not start-line honours.
Again, due to its age and genetic heritage, the Conti must do without modern tech such as a driving mode selector, active anti-roll bars and rear-wheel steering. The only buttons left to fiddle with surround its stability control and the option to vary the compliance of the shock absorbers between Comfort and Sport.
Bentley has left little off the table visually with the Supersports. On the inside it has carbon fibre by the kilo, not gram, and enough cowhide to make a dairy farmer nervous. And of course, it’s also cross stitched in three different colours and comes with piping to match, if you insist. The four lazy-boy seats make up the two-plus-two seater coupe platform and, at long last, the infotainment system doesn’t deserve its last rites.
The exterior of the extroverted Continental is kitted out with spoilers, splitters, air ducts and aprons galore. Not to mention the fatter oval tailpipes, bi-colour rims and shiny black accents to replace the chrome bling. The fixed, boy-racer-style rear wing can be deleted when selecting the coupe, but it’s not available on the summer-loving convertible.
However, in terms of combustive energy, this remarkable 522kW/1017Nm monster will likely wear the cream-of-the-crop crown for years to come.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Like Thunderous performance; endless comfort; overt luxury
Dislike Massive weight blunts dynamic potential
Specs Engine: 5998cc W12, DOHC, 48v, twin-turbo Power: 522kW @ 5900rpm Torque: 1017Nm @ 2050rpm Weight: 2280kg 0-100km/h: 3.5sec (claimed) Price: $569,522
