"Unveiled in 2003 at the Geneva Motor Show, the Continental GT was a different animal. The Crewe-built cars numbers were impressive with the twin-turbo, VAG 6.0 litre W12 engines, developed in the Volkswagen Phaeton and stillborn W12 sports car, producing 552bhp and 479lb ft torque. This prodigious output was fed through a six-speed automatic box from the new A8 and distributed by the Quattro four-wheel drive system. 0-60 in 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 196mph were significant for a car of this stature. Some six years later, also in Geneva, Bentley unveiled their new 621bhp Continental Supersports which was indecently quick with 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 204 mph, making it the fastest and the most powerful production Bentley ever. With a revised 'Tiptronic' automatic gearbox employing a 'quick-shift' system, gear change times were reduced by 50%. To cope with the increased power, it was necessary to have carbon fibre reinforced silicon carbide ceramic disc brakes - the largest and most powerful brakes ever fitted to a production car.
As the Supersports evolved Bentley managed to accidentally create a very limited-edition car, the two seat examples were not selling as hoped because at the time most of the Bentley ownership comprised a demographic of drivers who wanted four seats and a softer ride. Enter the Supersports ‘comfort seat’ option, a four-seat option that still gave performance, clearly not that of the two-seater but it gave a very clean way for Bentley to exit what appeared to be a fabulous car but not for their then customer demographic.
This example was supplied by Bentley Edinburgh in 2010 and was specified in Silver Tempest metallic with a Beluga hide and black Alcantara interior with Portland stitching. In typical Bentley fashion, the interior has leather on almost every surface, with carbon fibre trim and Alcantara inserts on the seats and door cards. The headlining is made up mostly of Alcantara too, with the control panel being covered in Beluga hide. The cabin of any Bentley Continental really is one of the best places to spend time in a car and the cabin of a Supersports makes the experience even better. The car is supplied with a comprehensive service history consisting of four visits to Bentley main agents and four visits to GC Motors, an independent prestige car dealer. The car has been serviced prior to the sale by Bentley Birmingham and has just had the front brake calipers stripped down and rebuilt by a brake specialist. The cherished registration ‘W12 AWB’ is included in the sale and the car comes with an MoT test certificate valid until January 2024 and various invoices for works carried out over the years."