Amazing as it seems, there are plenty of bone-stock cars that can break 200 miles per hour these days. But if you’re looking to go as far past the double-century mark as possible while bringing the entirety of Rush along for the ride, there’s only one choice: the new 209-mph Bentley Continental Supersports.
Thanks to the latest version of Bentley’s now-venerable W-12 engine, the latest Supersports puts down the sort of figures traditionally associated with supercars, not gran turismos. Higher-capacity turbochargers and a revised cooling setup allow the twin-turbo 12-pot to crank out an even 700 horsepower, while torque rises to a cool 750 pound-feet. (Not bad for an engine that more or less started out as a fused pair of Jetta motors.)
That combination of old-school displacement and new-school technology—along with a little help from the new torque converter, the eight-speed ZF automatic, and the rear-biased all-wheel-drive system—allows the new Continental Supersport coupe to jam from 0-60 mph in just 3.4 seconds on the way to the aforementioned 209-mph top speed. The new convertible version is a few ticks slower in both regards, but with a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 205 mph, we doubt the Malibu celebutants who choose the droptop will notice the difference.
The Supersports should be able to handle, too, in spite of its 5,027-pound curb weight. Credit the torque vectoring system borrowed from the shockingly-nimble Continental GT3-R, the magical air suspension with adaptive dampers, and the footprint of the four 275/35/21 tires. That rubber also plays a key role in slowing this Bentley down, though most of the credit for that goes to the carbon-ceramic brakes. (Fun fact: At 16.5 inches across, each front disc is 39 percent larger than Pizza Hut’s biggest pie.)
While the new Supersports may post performance figures that make Ferraris a tad nervous, the crew from Crewe hasn’t forgotten that their new car is first and foremost a Bentley. As such, the newest Conti looks fairly conservative for a 700-hp sports car. The basic Continental form has been spiced up with revised faschiae incorporating carbon-fiber aerodynamic elements, carbon-fiber hood vents, darkened lights and trim bits, extended side sills, and something called “rifled” tailpipes, which sounds like it’s designed to make the exhaust look even more like the military-grade hardware it sounds like.
The carmaker is also offering a new “X Specification” package, which may sound like it equips the Supersports for a team of crime-fighting mutants, but actually opens up the door to an octet of two-tone paint jobs and throws on a titanium exhaust, a carbon-fiber engine cover, and black versions of the 21-inch wheels. Of course, if you fear having a Continental that looks too much like your neighbor’s (the horror!), you can always have Bentley’s Mulliner customization division turn their attention on your car while it’s at the factory.
The 2017 Bentley Continental Supersports coupe starts at $293,300, while the convertible starts at $322,600. That said, if you want options, make sure there’s room in your Halliburton case for more than that before you stop off at the bank on the way to the dealership.