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Bentley is usually associated with luxury, instead of speed. But former 24 Hours of Le Mans winners know a thing or two about creating a performance car. As a result it has created the Bentley Supersports to show that it has a wild side, too. The moniker ‘Supersports’ has only been applied to three models over the brand’s history, the first time was 100 years ago. The latest builds on that legacy with a limited-edition derivative, just 500 will be made, that has performance at its core.
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The new Supersports is more than just the most driver-focused Bentley yet. It signifies a return to Bentley making more extreme cars – ones that combine extraordinary breadth of ability with true driver engagement, while remaining pieces of automotive artwork unique and bespoke to each customer. Bentley has always thrived when revealing a more daring side, and the new Supersports is a statement of our intent while celebrating 100 years of the name. This is the first project developed from start-to-finish since I joined Bentley Motors, and I’m proud of our team and the speed at which we’ve created a car so different to the GT on which it’s based
– Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser, Bentley chairman and CEO
Racy Suit
The latest Bentley Supersports is based on the current Continental GT coupe. However the apex model has a raft of changes to earn it this special name. Among them are some of the more obvious, external changes. These include:
- A new lower front bumper, with an integrated front splitter. Above the bumper, a new lightweight mesh grille, with a design unique to Supersports, is laser cut in extremely fine aluminium
- Two pairs of dive planes on the corners of the front bumper
- Carbon fibre wing mirror caps
- B-shaped fender blades behind the front wheels
- A new rear diffuser,
- A one piece, fixed rear spoiler
As a result the Supersports produces, according the press material: 300 kg more downforce than a Continental GT Speed, although the actual downforce figure isn’t quoted.
Turned up to 11
Of more interest to you is probably what going on under the bonnet. The twin-turbocharged 4,0-litre V8 ditches its hybrid component and has been revised for this application. It has a stronger crankcase, uprated cylinder heads and larger turbochargers. As a result it produces 490 kW and 800 N.m of torque. Bentley has also done away with the AWD layout, making the Supersports the first-ever road-going rear-wheel-drive Continental GT. This helps to shed a significant deal of mass. Bentley says that the large coupe will blitz the 0-100 km/h run in 3,7 seconds and top out at around 310 km/h.
The press material also makes a bold claim: Braking is by the largest automotive braking system in the world – 440 mm Carbon-Silicon-Carbide (CSiC) discs on the front axle, clamped by 10-piston calipers, and 410 mm discs with four-piston calipers at the rear – fitted as standard. Very interesting. These are shrouded by forged 22-inch alloys that are shod with Pirelli P-Zero rubber.
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