2017 Bentley Continental Supersports

The tradition of painting cars in a two-tone style can be traced right back to the 1920s and '30s, when custom coachbuilders, such as H.J Mulliner of London employed ever-bolder colour palettes on Rolls-Royce and Bentley vehicles in order to convey the wealth and taste of their owners.

Today, as was the case 100 years ago, two-tone paintwork can emphasise customisation which remains a limited commodity relative to the overall market, and can really set a car apart from its peers at an automotive event or social meet up with like-minded friends. With this in mind, the PaddlUp showroom now hosts a gallant 2017 Bentley Continental Supersports in an eye-catching two-tone Onyx Metallic over Hallmark Silver Metallic with a model-specific Supersports split diamond-quilted interior in Beluga Black hide with Porpoise Silver and Fireglow Red accents with contrast stitching. The car sits on 21-inch, 20-spoke forged wheels in black and CCM brakes with matching calipers. The Supersports moniker harks back to the 1920s once more, with its first use in 1925 on the three-litre Supersports - the first Bentley guaranteed to reach a 100mph top speed. The name was subsequently resurrected in 2009 on the two-seater Continental GT Supersports which was 100kg lighter than the Continental Speed upon which it was based. For its third reiteration, the Supersports took two years of development and was the culmination of built-up knowledge from Bentley’s engineers over the Continental development to date. 

Underneath the two-tone exterior, the limited series four-wheel-drive Supersports (a production run of 710 units) is all about the engine – a potent and commanding 6-litre W12 delivering 700bhp at 5,900rpm and 750lbft of torque at an impressive 2,050rpm, owing largely to Mitsubishi turbochargers and a strengthened crank, new con-rods, new main bearings and a softer torque converter to allow the precise time necessary to spool up the larger turbos. In addition, more air plumbing was developed along with a high-capacity cooling system.

The race-derived V8 GT3-R was also raided and provided the torque vectoring system, along with the massive 17-inch carbon-ceramic brake discs as well as inspiring the heavily reworked suspension system including 45% stiffer front springs, 33% stiffer rear springs and 53% stiffer anti-roll bar over the standard edition car.

The Supersports is fitted with the 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and comes with the Supersports titanium exhaust system developed by Akrapovič.

In the cabin, the Supersports benefits from Bentley’s premier specification that adds massaging and ventilated seats, Naim premium audio, a rear-view camera and a valet key. The Supersports colour split interior adds further refinement and rarity to this vehicle which is finished by a three-spoke Alcantara and hide-trimmed steering wheel.

Specification includes

• 21" Alloy Wheels - Twenty Spoke Forged - Black and Diamond Turned
• 8" High-Resolution Colour Screen to Display Infotainment and Vehicle Systems Information
• Acoustic Interlayer to Side and Rear Glass
• Airbag - Front and Rear Thorax
• Airbag - Passenger
• Airbags - Front Side
• Airbags - Rear Side
• Automatic Seat Belt Presenter
• Bentley Branded T Piece Engine Cover
• Black Winged B Badge to Radiator Shell and Boot Lid
• Body Coloured Lower Rear Bumper Valance
• Boot Carpet in Black - Beluga
• Bright Chrome Rear Light Embellisher
• CDC - Continuous Damping Control
• Carbon Ceramic Brakes with Red Calipers
• Concealed Rear Aerofoil with Automatic Deployment
• Dark Tint Radiator Shell Matrix and Lower Bumper Grilles
• EBD - Electronic Brake Force Distribution
• ESP - Electronic Stability Programme
• Electric Tilt and Reach Adjustment Steering Column with Memory and Easy Entry and Exit Functions
• Electronic Cruise Control
• Electronic Parking Brake with Drive Away Assist
• Electronic Parking Brake with Move Off Assist
• Electronically Adjustable Front Seats with Memory Functions
• Foot Pedals with Bentley B Emblem
• Footwell and Centre Console Stowage Illumination
• Front Parking Sensors
• HDD Satellite Navigation
• Headlight Washer Jets
• Hide and Chrome Trimmed Gear Lever with Manual Shift Change Facility
• High Level Rear Brake light
• LED Rear Lights with Jewellery-Effect Inner Light Treatment
• Main Beam Supplementation - LED
• Mirror-Matched Unbleached Burr Walnut Veneer to Fascia Panels and Console
• Park Distance Control - Graphic on Infotainment Screen Works in Conjuntion with Audible Warning
• Passengers' Seat 14 Way Adjustment and Memory Including Lumbar
• Permanent All-Wheel Drive with 40:60 Front to Rear Torque Split
• Power Boot Opening and Closing
• Power Latching to Driver and Passenger Doors for Easy Entry and Exit
• Rear Parking Sensors
• Seat Belt and Leather-Bound Carpets to Match all Hide Colours
• Speed-Sensitive Power Steering
• Speed Treadplate Badge
• Spoiler Integrated Into Boot Lid
• Standard Brakes with Red Calipers
• Steering Wheel - Supersports 3 Spoke Single Tone Alcantara and Hide Trimmed with Accent
• TPMS - Electronic Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
• Telephone System with Bluetooth Wireless Connectivity
• Twilight Sensor Control and Tunnel Detection for Lighting
• Voice Activation on Infotainment System
• Volumetric Ultrasonic Alarm
• W12 Badge to Front Fender
• i-Tunes Tagging

This Bentley has been cared for by one owner from new, its power and rarity makes it a wonderful grand tourer for continental road trips or equally, for effortless weekend excursions at home. The car has concert hall-grade audio in addition to its in-car Wi-Fi connectivity. The Supersports also comes complete with two sets of keys plus the quintessential Bentley valet key. 

History

The Supersports has a full main dealer service history as follows; Pre-delivery Inspection 06/09/17 @1 mile, 6 Week Service 26/10/17 @267 miles, 1st Annual Service 30/10/18 @4,789 miles, 2nd Annual Service 28/01/20 @10,017 miles, 3rd Annual Service 15/12/20 @10,156 miles. 4th Annual Service  28/02/22 @10,422 including Air Conditioning Service. The current mileage is 10,465 miles.

The car sits on Pirelli P Zero 275/35 ZR21.

The car presents in great overall condition. Consistent with the mileage there are a few light stone chips to the front end and minor marks on the off-side front carbon-fibre bumper insert, but nothing to detract from the overall impression of this Duo-Tone Bentley.