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The new Continental GT Supersports is the most powerful Bentley ever

The Bentley Continental GT Supersports has finally returned after a hiatus since the 2013 model year. And in that time, it became even meaner. The car packs a tweaked, twin-turbocharged W12 engine that now pumps out 700 horsepower and 750 lb-ft of torque. That's an extra 79 horsepower and 160 lb-ft of torque over the old model. With output like that, it's no surprise the new Supersports can demolish a 0-60 mph run in 3.4 seconds and has a top speed of 209 mph. The convertible also returns, although the soft top does cost a bit of outright speed. It's 0.3 seconds slower to 60 mph with a time of 3.7 seconds. It also has a slower top speed of 205 mph. But the headroom is amazing. View 13 Photos Fortunately, Bentley has equipped the new Supersports with handling and stopping upgrades, too. The suspension is lower and stiffer than normal a Continental GT. Power goes through a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system. That all-wheel-drive system also diverts 60 percent of the power to the rear by default, but can adjust the bias as needed. To bring all 5,000+ pounds of the Supersports to a stop, it has massive carbon ceramic brakes at each corner – 16.5 inches up front, and 14 inches in back. The Supersports sports plenty of style changes, too, although whether they're upgrades is up to the beholder. The car has sprouted a wide array of vents, gills, and wings. It also gets some huge 21-inch forged wheels and rifled exhaust tips. An "X Specification" package also gives buyers the option of eight two-tone color schemes along with carbon fiber mirrors and other trim pieces. It also includes a titanium exhaust that saves about 10 pounds of weight. Inside is plenty of leather and Alcantara, along with a new dash trim in a checkered carbon fiber finish. Of course other existing Bentley trims and veneers are also available. Bentley did not give details on pricing or availability of the Supersports. Related Video:

Xcar asks why the W in the Bentley Continental GT

There aren't a lot of automakers producing V12 engines these days: There's BMW and Mercedes, of course, and the Rolls-Royces and Paganis they power. There's Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin. But the largest producer of twelve-cylinder engines doesn't make them in a V. That'd be Bentley, and it produces more dozen-piston engines than anyone else, but arranges them in a W configuration. It's a compelling story of innovation, one as interesting as the history of the marque itself. And Xcar tells the tale in its latest video installment, tracing it back to the development of the compact VR6 engine and the autocratic mastermind at the helm of the Volkswagen Group who made the W12 a reality. By this point it would be all too easy to consign the W12 to the dustbin of history as the smaller, more efficient and nearly as powerful V8 has slotted in below to push the W12 to the margins of relevance. But it's still the more refined option, and the more innovative one. Little wonder it's the only type of twelve-cylinder engine (the Aventador's notwithstanding) that the Volkswagen Group still makes.

Bentley reserves 99 Continental GT3-Rs for North America at $337k apiece

Whether they're powered by V8 or W12 engines, the Bentley Continental GT just keeps getting faster and faster. The new Continental GT Speed, for example, is the fastest road-going Bentley ever made, capable of reaching 206 miles per hour. And the Continental GT3-R is the quickest-accelerating Bentley yet, capable of hitting 60 in just 3.6 seconds.
In other words, if you want to get your hands on one, you'll need to act fast. Bentley is only making 300 examples of the GT3-R, but while it is said to have already sold out the entire production run, it has been kind enough to keep 99 examples on the side just for the North American market.
The road-going embodiment of the Continental GT3 racer, the GT3-R packs a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 tuned up to 572 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. That makes it 72 hp and 29 lb-ft stronger than the base Continental GT V8, or 43 hp and 14 lb-ft more muscular than the GT V8 S, about on par with the W12 model but 54 hp and 89 lb-ft shy of the latest GT Speed. But thanks to its lighter weight (inherent in the eight-cylinder model and stripped of a further 220 pounds in the GT3-R), it trounces them all in the sprint to 60.