Bentley's sexy Supersports (From Dorset Echo)

Bentley's sexy Supersports

9:55am Friday 24th December 2010 in Cars By Steve Belasco

Well there’s no harm in dreaming, is there?

Most of us will never own a Bentley, but we’ll still buy Lottery tickets every week.

And if we’re dreaming of owning a Bentley, why not go for the most sophisticated, outrageous version?

It may chiefly be the target of those earning Premiership-level salaries – though probably few actual players – but the hard-core Continental Supersports is much more than just a sign of conspicuous consumerism.

The regular Continental GT, so beloved of WAGs, is more than up to that mark.

No, the Supersports is all and more (including the price) that the GT is – well, less in many practical ways – but adds the goodies needed to create a sophisticated petrolhead’s fantasy. It’s the same car but very different.

For example, rear legroom in the GT is limited, but you can’t level this criticism at the Supersports, because it doesn’t have any rear seats.

And the Continental GT is gut-wrenchingly fast, but the Supersports is quicker.

The standard GT is squat and wide with huge road presence, but the Supersports that arrived at the office was dark, with 20-inch ‘dark-smoked’ steel wheels and was lower-slung, with wider haunches and looked… menacing.

It was, of course, beautifully finished, right down to the custom tyre-valve dust caps, and approaching the car, which is actually smaller than you might imagine, a sense of almost tangible quality oozes from the depths of the beautiful Moroccan blue paintwork.

Climbing in after opening the heavy doors is a breathtaking experience as every part of the hand-made cabin comes under hushed, almost religious reverence. I did, in fact, offer up several prayers that I wouldn’t scratch or mark the thing… No two Bentleys are identical; buyers can specify bespoke materials and finishes to their own taste.

The Supersports is in most respects an extreme machine. The comfort levels, degree of automation, power and performance could all be described thus, right down to the smell of that superb quality, hand-stitched beluga hide. The deep carbon-fibre bucket seats have little padding but support you brilliantly – a sort of hard-core luxury. And it’s not quiet.

There’s also some road noise from the fat, very low-profile 275/35 tyres, but 70mph costs just 2,000rpm, making a motorway cruise relaxed and quiet.

Visibility is limited with thick pillars all round, but the excellent dials and instruments are easy to read, and there’s a Breitling clock (naturally).

The Continentals are powered by the renowned W12, twin-turbocharged, six-litre engine, but power has been boosted to 621bhp.

On tickover the engine produces a heavy and thrilling burble, but put your foot down and the the W12 roars like a Hawker Hurricane – and indeed goes like one.

The shove in your back is relentless, as the speedo needle swings past 60mph in 3.7 seconds and then just carries on, past 80, 100, 120 and 140mph before starting to ease, as the end of the private airfield runway hurtles towards you and you stamp on the brakes.

There are 420mm ceramic discs front and 356mm at the back, the biggest and most powerful on any production car on the planet, and stop you embarrassingly far short of where you thought you’d pull up.

Some of the most advanced electronic safety systems keep the car brilliantly on the straight and narrow, even in perilously wet conditions, as they do when pressing on along winding country roads.

The Supersports is the ultimate Grand Tourer. It may weigh the wrong side of two tonnes and be approaching 16 feet long, but with its brilliant chassis set-up, all-wheel-drive, responsive controls and superb six-speed auto and paddle-controlled gearbox, it’ll stuff virtually any nimbler, sports machine on the road – when you’re in the mood.

There’s room for a couple of soft Versace suitcases and your girlfriend’s Gucci handbag in the back as you set off to Biarritz for the season.

The Continental GT may be disparagingly associated with WAGs (whatever they are) but there are probably few around with the ability, and nerve, to fully exploit the Supersport’s capabilities. And the summer soccer holiday isn’t very long these days anyway… Bentley has worked hard to cut emissions and fuel consumption, and the engine will run on any combination of petrol and E85 biofuel.

Prices start at £166,600 with the test car at £176,000.