Bentley Supersports Convertible Debuts at Goodwod With Derek Bell Behind the Wheel

With Bentley looking to put more focus on the performance of its vehicles in the future, the snooty British brand certainly chose the right way to show off its latest product at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The Supersports Convertible, the world’s fastest drop-top, tacked the exciting hillclimb event driven by none other than racing legend Derek Bell.

Judging from the photos, Bell certainly made the twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12 overpower the Bentley’s AWD system. And why not, with 621-hp and 590 ft-lbs of torque available. Bentley claims the Supersports Convertible will hit 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph.

But enough about the stats, check out the exciting action in our gallery below.

Official release after the jump:

BENTLEY’S SUPERSPORTS CONVERTIBLE MAKES RAPID DEBUT AT GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED

(Crewe, England. 5 July 2010) Bentley’s Continental Supersports Convertible, the world’s fastest production drophead, made its official public driving debut at the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed. With several searing runs up the famous hill, it forcibly underlined its supercar performance credentials.

Throughout the weekend the Supersports Convertible, which is capable of a potential top speed of 202mph and a 0-60mph sprint time of 3.9 seconds, was piloted by the racing legend and honorary ‘Bentley Boy’ Derek Bell who used his expert knowledge of the climb to set a series of typically rapid ascents and give the Goodwood spectators plenty to talk about.

The Supersports Convertible was joined in the supercar paddock by its equally powerful and capable coupe stablemate – the 621bhp Bentley Continental Supersports which returned to Goodwood after making its own debut in 2009.

Whilst Bentley’s flying Supersports models powered up the hill there was also the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Crewe’s new luxury flagship, the Mulsanne, at this year’s Festival of Speed.

Over 170 hours – almost half the entire build process – goes into handcrafting the Mulsanne’s luxurious interior which combines the traditional wood veneers and leather hides Bentley is renowned for with the latest in-car technology and the world’s most powerful in-car amplifier (offering 2200 Watts) produced in partnership with Naim Audio.

Both Continental Supersports models are now on sale with first deliveries of the convertible due later this summer. The new Mulsanne, which is about to enter full production at the company’s Crewe headquarters, has received an extremely positive reaction and Bentley has already received significant expressions of interest that will account for production through 2011. The first deliveries of Mulsanne will arrive this coming Autumn.