Bentley looks ready to give its hardcore Continental Supersports the open-top treatment, with a new convertible prototype spotted testing near the Nürburgring in Germany.
Like the coupé, it’s expected to combine a powerful twin-turbo V8 with rear-wheel drive, making it a rather different Bentley from the usual luxury grand tourer.
The upcoming Bentley Supersports Convertible was photographed during testing by Auto Express, revealing several familiar details from the coupé. These include the aggressive front splitter, aerodynamic diveplanes and a large ducktail spoiler at the rear.
It’s also wearing what appear to be the same 22-inch Manthey forged wheels, with enormous carbon-silicon carbide brakes sitting behind them. The front discs measure 440mm and are paired with 10-piston calipers on the coupé.
What makes the Supersports particularly interesting is Bentley’s approach to saving weight.
The coupé is around 500kg lighter than the regular Continental GT, largely thanks to the removal of its plug-in hybrid system and all-wheel-drive hardware.
Carbon-fibre body components and a titanium exhaust help reduce weight further.
The convertible will inevitably carry some extra weight because of its folding roof and additional structural reinforcement, but it should still be considerably lighter than the standard Continental GTC if Bentley follows the same formula.
Under the bonnet, the drop-top is expected to retain the coupé’s 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8, producing 657bhp and 800Nm of torque. Power will be sent exclusively to the rear wheels, giving the Supersports a more traditional performance-car character than Bentley’s usual all-wheel-drive models.
The coupé can accelerate from 0–62mph in 3.7 seconds, although the convertible could be slightly slower due to its additional weight. Bentley hasn’t confirmed any performance figures for the open-top model.
There’s also the small matter of price. The Supersports coupé starts at £343,000, with all 500 examples reportedly already sold. The convertible is expected to cost more, although Bentley has yet to announce pricing, production numbers or a launch date.
For anyone who likes the idea of a rear-wheel-drive Bentley with a thunderous V8 and the roof down, this could be one of the more interesting additions to the Continental range.
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