The new Bentley Continental GT is on sale, and it’s a little while yet before we see a new drop-top GTC or Flying Spur limo, so at the VW Group’s 2011 Geneva motor party Bentley revealed a limited-run Supersports Convertible. Just 100 Bentley Supersports ‘Ice Speed Record’ Convertibles will ever be made.
Isn’t there a Bentley Supersports Convertible already on sale?
There is, but this is the Ice Speed Record Supersports Convertible, built to celebrate Bentley’s recent, err, ice speed record; just a few weeks ago, on the frozen Baltic Sea just off the coast of Finland, four-time world rally champ Juha Kankkunen drove a Supersports Convertible to 205mph. He bested his own record, set at 199mph in 2007 in a Bentley Continental GT, and both Kankkunen’s new record-setting car and this new production ‘ISR’ car will be on display at the 2011 Geneva motor show.
It’s a more than a stickers and stripes special, but only a little more: Bentley has squeezed another 10bhp out of the twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 engine, taking the total to 631bhp – thank some fine tuning of the air intake ducts, intercooler and exhaust system for the upping of the engine’s output. The rest of the mechanicals are standard Supersports Convertible stuff, with the ability to run on E85 bio-ethanol, a 40:60 rear-biased four-wheel drive system, huge carbon-ceramic brakes (420mm front, 356mm rear) and fat 275/35 ZR20 Pirelli tyres.
So is the extra 10bhp all that makes the Bentley Supersports ISR Convertible stand out?
Nope, but every potential Supersports Convertible owner will already be clamouring for an ISR car, not wanting to spend £182k on the standard car and find they were 10bhp down for the sake of an extra few grand – prices for this new model have yet to be announced, but it’ll definitely cost extra.
However, over and above the power increase the ISR Convertible is available in just three colours – Beluga (black), Quartzite (grey) and Arctica (white) – all with a unique ‘metallic look’ soft-top and darkened 20-inch wheels. Inside the high-gloss carbonfibre on the dash, centre console and roof panels features a red weave, there’s red piping on the seats and doors, and red stitching on the seats, doors, wheel and paddles, plus a red logo for the Breitling clock.
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