New Extreme Biofuel Bentley Continental Supersports Ready to Fly - GREAT DEREK BELL ROAD TEST VIDEO

LONDON - October 10, 2009: Bentley Motors has announced that the first Continental Supersports,

the fastest road-going Bentley ever, will start touching-down at the company’s worldwide dealer network later this month. Launched at the Geneva Show in March 2009, the Supersports combines extreme Supercar styling and performance with the pioneering the use of biofuel in the luxury automotive sector.

Designed, engineered and built at Bentley’s Crewe (England) headquarters, the two-seater Supersports is capable of reaching a top speed of 204mph (329km/h) and has a zero to 60mph sprint time of just 3.7 seconds (0-100km/h in 3.9s) while the twin-turbocharged, W12 6-litre engine produces 621bhp (630PS).

However, these potent performance figures are offered in a car which is ‘fuelled for the future.’ The Bentley engineering team have ensured the Supersports is capable of running on E85 biofuel, regular petroleum or any combination of these two fuels.

A sophisticated fuel quality sensor can detect the exact blending ratio of the fuel in real time sending a signal to the engine control unit (ECU). The unit instantly initiates the correct engine mapping to ensure the car’s colossal levels of power and torque remain at constant levels whatever the ratio of petrol to E85 biofuel.

Deliveries of the new Supersports begin this month and will arrive in the majority of markets by the year end. Initial deliveries of Supersports models to the United States will be gasoline-fuelled with flex-fuel capability following in mid 2010, following regulatory approval. The Continental Supersports represents the first stage of a wider Bentley commitment to ensure its entire model range will be capable of running E85 Biofuel by 2012.

As part of the Supersports final testing and development programme, the company’s engineers invited the 5-times Le Mans champion, two-time World Sportscar Champion and honorary ‘Bentley Boy’ Derek Bell to put the Supersports through its paces at the fabled Nürburgring. Bell, who played a key part in the development of the original Continental GT and helped to direct Bentley’s successful Le Mans campaign in 2003, was suitably impressed.

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CLICK HERE to read more about the new Bentley Supersports and to see the complete unveiling at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show