2012 Bentley Continental GTC Supersports Ice Speed Record Edition

Introduced at the New York Motor Show in April 2006, the Bentley Continental GT Convertible (or GTC) benefited from generally being considered affordable, even though it wasn't really, and proved an immediate sales success. The Convertible utilised the same smooth, powerful, twin-turbocharged 6-litre W12 engine as the GT Coupé. Electro-hydraulically operated, the luxuriously padded fabric roof stowed away, neatly revealing an interior of peerless refinement. The GTC was the first open-topped Bentley since the Le Mans-winning cars of the 1930s that could be considered a sports car. The engineering skills and vast budget of Bentley’s parent company had produced a car that was uniquely nimble and luxurious at the same time, with seamless power constantly on tap. With a 0-62mph time of 5.1-seconds, the GTC was the only car in its class that was as comfortable as it was fast.

As the Continental Coupé and Convertible rapidly grew in popularity, a new younger market was, for the first time, tempted away from the likes of Ferrari and Porsche, and as drivers who preferred speed over tweed, Bentley began to develop faster variants. As such, in February 2009, Bentley announced the Continental Supersports, a superb feat of re-engineering that enabled the coupé to reach 62mph from a standing start in just 3.7 seconds, and the convertible followed in 2010. However, it was Bentley’s entry into the Guinness Book of World Records in 2011 that led to the limited production of the fastest ever convertible to wear the winged B, the Continental GTC Ice Speed Record.

Built to commemorate four-times WRC champion Juha Kankkunen’s 205mph ice speed record on a frozen stretch of the Baltic Sea in a Supersports, the ISR was described by Bentley as 'dramatically extrovert'. Limited to just 100 cars globally, the ISR was only available by invitation and, at £189,000, was the most expensive Continental yet. As Bentley’s most powerful car in its 92-year history, the exterior matched the drama with a choice of either Beluga, Quartzite or Arctica White, with contrasting decals matched to two-tone 20" alloys. The interior has a touch of the stylish extrovert about it with the traditional leather piped in Pillar Box Red, and the high-gloss carbon fibre, with a weave tinted in red, furnishes the dashboard and console below a specially-designed red-accented Breitling clock.

One of some 19 ISR cars supplied to the UK, this Arctica White example was bought by our vendor, one of the very few invited to do so, on 1st April 2012. Joining a varied collection of motorcars and only used on fair weather jaunts, the car has nevertheless been diligently maintained, most recently by the specialists at RR&B of Bromsgrove. Presented to auction with just 6,090 miles on the odometer, at the time of cataloguing, the history file confirms the maintenance records, and our vendor has generously included the special issue Breitling watch that is cased in the same red-tinted carbon fibre.

Low-mileage, limited-production, invited ownership and 'rocket-ship' performance, this is special.