Bentley Continental Supersports Coupe: A Greener Luxury Ride

Bentley Continental Supersports Coupe

Can a luxury ride be green?  Bentley thinks so.  The Bentley Continental Supersports Coupe combines speed, precision handling, comfort and…. lower CO2 emissions.

The high-performance automobile includes a 621-HP, 12-cylinder engine.  With this type of power, its no surprise that it can move from 0-60 MPH in 3.7 seconds.  The real shocker, however, is that the Supersports Coupe now can burn petroleum or ethanol from food crops, industrial or agricultural waste.

Do you have a spare $275,000 lying around?  If not, then let’s just drool together and fantasize:

The lightweight interior of the Bentley Continental Supersports Coupe

Bentley’s engineers (at its parent company, Volkswagen of Germany) designed a greener luxury ride without compromising on quality.  Yet, it may not have even attempted to “go green” if consumers had not demanded the change.

Fortunately, what began as an experiment, is now reality!

Among other things, the weight of the vehicle was reduced by using carbon fiber and other high-strength, lightweight materials.  The car’s two seats are thin, but elegant, and wrapped around carbon fiber shells.

Once all the tinkering was done, the result is what some call the “Extreme Bentley,” in that its the fastest, but also the cleanest, greenest vehicle in its history!

Here’s the bottom line.  The new Bentley is the least gas-guzzling of any in its history:

• 12 miles per gallon in the city
• 19 miles per gallon on the highway
• When fueled with 85% ethanol, it produces 70% less CO2

Sure, I can hear you now… there are lots of cars that are 2-3 times more “green” than the Bentley Supersports Coupe.  But just drive one of these babies in comparison, and you may understand why some motoring enthusiasts are willing to compromise a bit on fuel-efficiency when it comes to luxury.

In case you are wondering…. no.  I didn’t get behind the wheel of one of these sleek Bentleys.  But I can dream, right?

And lest you think that the Bentley is truly just a fantasy for most of us, consider that the innovation used in developing this high-end vehicle will likely be implemented into the more affordable Volkswagen line one day.

I find that thought can improve my “Fahrvergnügen“  (for those that are not old enough to remember the 1989 Volkswagen ad campaign, it means “driving enjoyment”).   What do you think?