2009 Bentley Continental Reviews

This is the most extreme Bentley yet made. Supersports is a fine-tuned, lightweight version of the Continental GT Speed which arrives here next month, costing $525,000.It has 3.5 per cent more power, 6.7 per cent more torque and weighs 110kg less, mainly because they have thrown out the rear seats and replaced the front row with expensive carbonfibre seats.  All of this means it accelerates to 100km/h in less than four seconds, which places the genteel British marque in the supercar class for the first time.Asia Pacific marketing manager James Barclay says they do not predict volume sales for the car, but then they don't do volume sales for any of their vehicles, particularly this year.  So far in 2009, Bentley has sold only 33 vehicles, compared with 82 for the same time last year.  "The Supersports is a niche product for us," Barclay says."We expect conquest buys from other brands such as the (Porsche) GT3 and (Ferrari) 599.  "It is the most extreme Bentley yet but Australia is a sports-focused market and cars like this are of real interest so we expect it to go well."The Supersports name is inspired by the original two-seater three-litre Supersports model introduced in 1925.  Like the current model, it was an evolution of the Speed model.The original 63kW Supersports was the first production Bentley to reach 100mph (160km/h).  This model’s 6-litre W12 twin-turbocharged has 463kW of power at 6000rpm and 800Nm of torque from 1700-5600rpm with a top speed of 329km/h.There are no major changes to the car's suspension, W12 engine or dynamics, only a host of ‘fine tuning’.  The biggest change is in the new Quickshift version of the six-speed ZF 6HP26 automatic transmission which halves shift times and allows double downshifts.Supersports is also the first car from Bentley which is ‘flexfuel-capable’ which means it will take a fuel mix of up to 85 per cent ethanol.  The company intends to make all its vehicles E85 capable by the end of 2012.The Supersports definitely is sports focused with its all-wheel-drive system tuned for more rear bias (60-40), rather than 50-50 like the GT and GT Speed.  This gives it a more ‘playful’ attitude on a track, Bentley says.Its electronic stability program is also re-programmed to trail the rear inside brake to tuck the front in and dial out bothersome understeer and dial in a little friendly oversteer.Outside, the vehicle looks more muscular thanks to wider flanks to accommodate a 50mm wider track and wide tyres on 20-inch wheels, and it has larger and extra air vents to improve engine breathing. Out back there are twin elliptical exhaust pipes.It comes with massive carbon ceramic brakes as standard. On a lesser model, they would be a $10,000 option. They are a little touchy, but are almost fade-proof and guaranteed to last the life of the vehicle.Inside, there is quilted stitched Alcantara leather, acres of carbonfibre trim and — unusually for Bentley — no wood.  Supersports comes in whites, greys and blacks in gloss and gorgeous satin finishes, while the brightware (grilles, lamp bezels, window surrounds and wheels) have a ‘smoked’ steel finish.All stainless steel components are applied with a Physical Vapour Deposition process normally used as a coating on industrial tools, watches and even hip replacement joints.The overall impression is of a car that feels light and agile with a fast change of direction and quick acceleration from any speed.  On the narrow and twisting country roads in north-west England where Bentley road tests all its vehicles, the car feels way too wide and way too powerful, for the too-close rock walls and hedgerows, yet it still manages to feel nimble.Only a smidgen of its potential can be unleashed in these conditions, yet it rides comfortably over the few potholes we encounter, which indicates a potential for long-distance GT work.  The thinly padded seats look harder than they are and have surprising comfort over a distance.

Is it the Bentley Flying Spur Speed's performance one should be most impressed by — or should that honour go to the stereo.Tough question.Here we have a $400,000 luxury tank with the soul of a sports car. The 6-litre 12-cylinder powerplant's 449kW and 750Nm across a delightfully wide delivery band from 1750-5750rpm will launch its 2.5-tonnes in a Porsche-like 4.8 seconds.That's impressive.It also handles direction changes with the poise of a ballet dancer and has the balance of a high-wire artist. Very impressive indeed.It would seem only fitting, then, that such a car should have a sound system capable of inspiring its own degree of awe. It does.The system from iconic — if little known outside the audiophile world — British company Naim is optional at $15,000. A mere snip in a $400,000 car.The tech stats are impressive, if a little pointless unless you live and breathe audio equipment — and in that case you probably know it all anyway — but suffice to say the 1100 Watt amplifier is the most powerful available in any production car.What does that mean to anyone sitting in the cabin? It means it is a really good idea not to wind the volume to the max. It absolutely could be harmful to your health.The 15-speakers hidden tastefully around the cabin — Naim's research and development boffins spent 18 months adapting their high-end sound systems to Bentley's rather plush interiors — will deliver bone-shaking doof-doof if that is what you really want or the most exquisite concert hall sound imaginable.It may be possible, if you listen carefully, that you hear the second violinist snap a horse-hair on his bow. It's that good.Step outside the car, close the doors and such is the quality of the Flying Spur Speed and its five-layer sound-insulating glass that — at best — you will hear a muted hint of what is happening inside. And therein probably lies the answer to the original question.Each of the component parts of the Bentley are of themselves impressive. Overall, they are more so.However, there is a new element to Bentley as a company.Historically there has been the distinct impression that you either loved the cars as they were or you went somewhere else. The marque was exclusive enough that if you weren't happy then that was your problem.In a changing world that is no longer the case. Owners are to be listened to and their concerns acted on ... and that is the genesis of the 2009 Flying Spur Speed."There was some early criticism of the similarities between the first Continental Flying Spur and the Speed," Australia and New Zealand Bentley boss Ed Strieberg said last year when introducing the 2009 model."Some people saw it as two trim levels of essentially the same car."The answer was to allow the Speed its own character, highlighting, rather than hiding, its sporting elitism.The changes to the 2009 model are not huge, rather a soft makeover highlighted by a larger and more upright grille, that five-ply sound-deadening glass, some extra choices in paint and trim, and electric adjustment for the rear seats.Inside there are the same acres of quality leather, sheets of hand-worked fine-wood trims and the most beautifully knurled metal knobs and gearstick.Understated but undeniably plush, even if some of the dash instrumentation and lesser switches hint at the marque's VW owners. The Bentley cabin remains a place of peace and grace.Dynamically the Flying Spur is something of a magic act. There is no getting away from the fact this is a big car. At nearly 5.3m it dwarfs most family transport, yet from behind the wheel it disguises its bulk almost magically.The steering is light and with enough `sneeze factor’ not to be nervous despite the sheer mass of the car. For all that refinement it is sharp and gives an unexpected level of feedback from the massive 275/35 tyres.Getting the car going is the thumping W12 engine, sourced from VW head office, but tuned and refined to suit the Speed's newly-freed sporty character. Yet, if it is an achievement to have the Flying Spur get up and go as it does then stopping it is an even greater one.The brakes are simply stunning. The 405mm (front) and 335mm rear discs pull the Bentley down from serious speeds in exceptional fashion. For a mere $30,440 you can add a larger set of carbon-ceramic plates — but that would be showy overkill.And that, most definitely, is not a Bentley trait.