Hot Wheels Bentley Continental Supersports and Matchbox Bentley Continental GT

In 2006 you can imagine the pressure that Matchbox had on making the Bentley Continental GT to please the execs at Bentley.  Well, after some hard work the model finally arrived in the 2007 line.  Five years later, Hot Wheels had no problem doing the same to make the high-performance Supersports model.

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The changing times

Before VW bought Bentley in 1998, the Bentley brand was nothing more than a sporty version of Rolls-Royce.  Now that the brand has separated from the R.R. tradition, VW was free to make an entirely new model of their own.  Using technology first seen in the Bugatti and VW W-12 concept vehicles, the Continental GT uses a uni-body structure with all-wheel drive coupled to a 6.0L, twin-turbocharged W-12, essentially four rows of three cylinders in a W-stance.  It produces 552 hp. and 479 Ib-ft. of torque through a 6-speed tiptronic automatic.  The suspension has multilinks at all four wheels with air springs for a controlled ride from soft to firm depending on preference.  0-60 is in 4.8 seconds.  The styling is very smooth and unique with rounded curves with quad headlights and a smaller Bentley grille at the front.  The smooth sides continue at the rear with a slight rear fender bulge to the slanted rear with round square taillights with integrated oval quad units, integrated brake light on the rear window, and oval exhaust.  The interior is really nice with dual cockpit arrangement, wood trim, chrome air vents, analog clock with navigation screen in the center of the dash, and analog gauges with a digital central information center.  The seats are nice and plush with just enough support for hard cornering.  The rear seat is tight, but future models like the Flying Spur resolved that issue.

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In 2009 the fastest Bentley arrived as the Supersports.  The engine is retuned to make 621 hp. and 590 Ib-ft. of torque through the same six-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.  The exterior benefitted from tinted headlights, mesh grille, larger lower scoops with integrated front brake cooling ducts.  The rear has integrated exhaust in the bumper, while the wheels are lightweight alloy wheels.  The engine was the first to run on both E85 and premium gas.  0-60 occurs in 3.7 seconds.  The interior also benefits from lightweight savings by ditching the rear seats for a strut brace.  The front seats are more supportive, the steering wheel is now a 3-spoke design, the dash has silver accents, and the gauges are slightly revised.  Being the fastest Bentley also comes with a higher price at $270,000 dollars.

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The swivete Matchbox GT

Matchbox was on a roll changing their stale Hero City image for a more realistic look, yet even with the new changes it was hard to convince Bentley to allow a replica to be made by Matchbox.  So after some hard work and several design changes the Continental GT was ready for the Matchbox line in 2007.  The Moonbeam paint is the most gorgeous silver car that i've ever seen: no metalflakes, and it has a blue tint to give it the moon-ish color.  The headlights, front grille, and lower grille is nicely detailed, as is the smooth body lines, while at the rear is the detailed taillights with the inner oval units, oval exhaust tips, and Bentley plates front and rear.  The multi-spoke wheels look great on this car.  The underbody is smooth with a few drivetrain details poking through.  The interior, done in Saddle color, looks great with the appropriate dash steering wheel, console, and plush seats details.  Just looking at the interior really shows you how luxurious it is!  One neat detail is the red strip on the back window for the third brake light.  Matchbox didn't skimp the details on this one, and i'm glad they didn't because it looks gorgeous!

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Next up is the St. James Red with Fireglow interior color, followed by the Glacier White with Saffron interior color, with the Chesnut and Saddle interior color rounds out the last of the group.  While these are not all of the colors, I do appreciate how well these colors run on this casting.  Sadly the Bentley GT has been missing since its last release in 2010.

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The Hot Wheels Supersports

This, of course, allowed Hot Wheels to move in and do the Supersports version.  The big difference from the Matchbox version is the size:  It is wide and lower than the Matchbox GT.  Hot Wheels adds the unique grille, lower grille, hood vents, and headlights of the Supersports, while the rear has integrated exhaust tips.  The interior looks the same except for the lack of a rear seat.  Could it be possible Bentley put the same restrictions on this Hot Wheels version just like they did to Matchbox?  Possibly, with the 2012 Glacier White with Fireglow interior and simple details, but the 2014 version goes for a St James Red with back graphics on the hood and sides.  Then there are the wheels:  I was hoping for tinted gray 10-spokes in its initial release, but got chrome y-5 wheels instead.  My example had problems with the wheels rubbing on the metal body.  The 2014 version uses the new FTE wheels, whether you like them or not, and it feels much more smoother to roll than my 2012 version.

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Let's hope Matchbox revives the Continental GT soon, while at the same time hope Hot Wheels doesn't get the Supersports carried away in wacky graphics and extreme wheels.

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