Bentley Supersports Biofuel Caught on the Road

Shall Bentley call this the e-Continental?

Well, whatever they eventually name it, it seems not even ultra-luxury automakers like Bentley are immune to the required eco-sensitivity of our times. And why not? We should all do our part. If Willie Nelson can start a bio-diesel fuel company then, yes, Bentley should have this.

And what is it, exactly?

At the Geneva auto salon earlier this year Bentley premiered a Continental GT that runs on ethanol and called it the Continental Supersports, for lack of a more appropriate name, apparently. And the upside is that the E85 version is a better performer, upping the power quotient on the 6.0 liter W12 engine to 630 hp, 20 hp more than the GT Speed and 78 more than the standard Continental GT. 0 to 100 km/h comes in at under 4 seconds (3.9 s). Another marked improvement over the GT and GT Speed, which come in at 4.8 and 4.5 seconds, respectively. There's also a modest jump in top speed - 329 km/h compared to 322 (GT Speed) and 318 km/h (Continental GT).

But the improved performance does not necessarily reflect the power of the E85 (ethanol) fuel. Bentley has put the Continental on a diet to the tune of 110 less kilograms through the use of carbon fiber components. There's also a new Quickshift gearbox that makes changes twice as fast as the previous iteration of the transmission. It also has a wider track at the rear by 50 millimeters.

The spy shots seen here are of the Continental Supersports arriving at the track at Nurburgring for a little exercise. Cosmetic differences to the standard Continental GT are minimal, with a different rear bumper and tailpipes and larger air intakes at the front, which improve cooling to also help increase those performance numbers.

Whoever will be driving this, though, you can bet they won't be whistling On the Road Again. Willie, you interested?