The Bentley Continental Supersports Coupe now gets four seats
Bentley have revealed that they are to start offering their fastest car – the Bentley Continental Supersports Coupe – as a proper four seater.
When Bentley launched the fastest ever Bentley in February 2009 – the Continental Supersports Coupe – it went the Superleggera route – all weight stripping and gesture pruning of ‘unnecessary’ fripperies. Which we did find surprising. Bentley owners love their power, but they love their comfort and toys just as much.
Which probably explains why when Bentley announced the Continental Supersports Convertibe at Geneva in February it came with proper Bentley seats in the front and a set of seats in the back, instead of the glorified parcel shelf you get in the Supersports Coupe. And now comes news that the Supersports Coupe is going the same route, with a set of comfy, leather-clad armchairs in the front and a matching set in the back.
Which is exactly what Bentley should have done in the first place. This obsession with wearing a metaphorical hair-shirt to prove a Supercar’s performance by stripping out all the comfort drives me potty. There’s always room to save weight, but taking out stuff like proper seats just smacks of showboating. So make the most of the picture below – there won’t be many Supersports coming out of Bentley looking like this in the future.
[singlepic id=689 w=320 h=240 float=left]Even pretty extreme weight stripping has a marginal impact. The Supersports Coupe claimed a weight saving of 110kg over the GT Speed. The same as a proper sized man – around 17 stone or 240lb. This in a car that weighs over 5,000 lbs. And 20% of the weight saving comes from fitting ceramic brakes, which you can do without the ‘no fripperies, hair-shirt’ attitude. So what’s the point?
Maybe now the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini will consider leaving a few more comforts in when they go the Superleggera or Scuderia route. Swap around panels for carbon fibre; throw in carbon ceramics, but leave the car a pleasure to be in. Really, no one can tell the difference it makes to performance in the real world.
Or maybe I’m just an old man who likes to go quickly in comfort.
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