2009 New York Auto Show: 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports Pricing Announced

NEW YORK — At the 2009 New York Auto Show, Bentley on Wednesday said its first flex-fuel vehicle, the 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports, will start at $273,295 when it launches in the U.S. this October. The price includes a $2,595 destination charge and a $3,700 federal gas-guzzler tax, thus making the biofuel car the most expensive Continental Series vehicle.

However, this is not the most expensive Bentley in the British marque's lineup. A Bentley Azure costs $340,000, while a Bentley Arnage with Mulliner/bespoke content can "run upward of $1 million," said Bentley's U.S. spokesman David P. Reuter in an e-mail exchange with Inside Line. But the biofuel Supersports' price is a significant leap over the cost of the Continental GT Speed, which starts at $203,600.

Reuter said there will be about "a half-dozen options" available on the Continental Supersports, but said pricing and details on those will be announced later.

Carbon-ceramic brakes, which are normally a $16,500 option on all other Continental models, are standard on the Supersports.

While the Continental Supersports will be available here in the fall, the flex-fuel capability will not reach North America until summer 2010, Reuter said.

The 4,939-pound Continental Supersports is estimated to return 13 miles per gallon in city driving and 24 mpg on the highway, according to Bentley. It is equipped with a 6.0-liter W12 twin-turbocharged engine that delivers 621 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. The two-seater is described as the fastest Bentley ever.

Inside Line says: It won't be cheap to go green with the Bentley Continental Supersports. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent