Bentley says Conti Supersports 'isn't on the horizon'

Tue, Jun 30 2015

For the longest time, Bentley made a name for itself making ever-faster versions of its core Continental range. These days, however, the British automaker has other things on which to focus. And that means there's little time to spend on developing a new high-performance Conti.

After refreshing the Continental GT, GTC, and Flying Spur in 2011, Bentley came out with a new Continental GT Speed in 2012, boasting 616 horsepower. Last year it updated the range again, bumping the GT Speed up to 626 hp and releasing the GT3-R as a road-going version of the racing model, with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 pumping out 572 hp. (A further refresh was rolled out just months ago, but was more cosmetic in orientation.) It even slotted the Speed's engine into the Flying Spur, and did a Speed version of the Mulsanne as well. What it hasn't done, however, is develop a successor to the previous Supersports model.

"...A future Supersports model isn't on the horizon at the moment." – Mike Sayer, Bentley

The Supersports was the performance flagship of the previous Continental range, boasting 621 horsepower, a 0-62 time of 3.7 seconds, and a top speed in excess of 204 miles per hour. But the current GT Speed is even faster, quoted at 206 mph. And with 626 hp, it's marginally more powerful too. The question, then, is whether an even more potent Supersports is in the works. And the answer is: not just yet.

"While we're always looking at ways of extending our unique combination of luxury and performance even further, we're currently focused on delivering the all-new Bentley Bentayga SUV," spokesman Mike Sayer revealed in correspondence with Autoblog. "The Continental family has just received a suite of styling and usability upgrades for 16MY, and a future Supersports model isn't on the horizon at the moment." So while a new Continental Supersports could arrive at some point down the line, it's apparently not a priority right now.

And what about the prospect of an even more hardcore version of the Continental GT3-R? Rumors have been circulating of an even lighter version in the works, unburdened by the bulk of the Conti's all-wheel drive system Â– but we're told that's not in the cards at the moment, either. "The Continental GT3-R has been very well-received around the world. Some regions (including the UK) have sold-out their allocation. A very limited number of cars remain in a small number of overseas markets," says Sayer. "While we are always looking to the future, we currently have no plans to produce a rear-wheel drive or faster version. We believe that the GT3-R, as the most dynamic Bentley ever, does an excellent job of highlighting our performance credentials."

All of which stands to reason, even if the news may be a little disappointing to those looking forward to a more potent new Continental. The team in Crewe is currently hard at work bringing the Bentayga to market. After that, it's slated to develop an additional model line, which could take the form of either a smaller crossover to slot in below the Bentayga, or a production version of the EXP 10 Speed 6 sports coupe concept. Maybe at some point in there, Bentley will find the time and resources to dedicate to developing another high-performance Conti, but we're likely looking several years down the line, at the earliest.

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By Noah Joseph