An entire century after the first ‘Super Sports’ was born, Bently has now brought the name forth once more with just the fourth Supersports throughout its history; embodying the familiar formula of heightened power, reduced weight & amplified driver focus. As Bentley Chairman and CEO, Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser said, “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.”
The seed idea which grew into the new Supersports first took root in September 2024, when a small yet highly passionate engineering team brought to mind how a rear-wheel drive Continental GT weighing in at below 2 tons would drive dynamically. A single test mule was approved to be built, taking to the track just 6 weeks later as proof of concept. With its resulting performance being highly convincing, the green light was given to proceed; albeit under close guard and with just that highly focused engineering team being involved.
For the project’s secret codename, they took inspiration from Bentley’s history, particularly the tale of one Mildred Mary Petre. Born in 1895 with a real thirst for speed, she quickly made her talents known as a record breaker on land, sea and air as a racing driver, powerboat racer & pilot. Come 1929, she solo drove a Bentley 4½ Litre around France’s Montlhery circuit for 24 hours, averaging nearly 90 mph while setting a new endurance record. A phenomenal achievement by any of today’s standards yet even more incredible back then in the 1920s, this truly demonstrated her fearless, boundary breaking spirit; thus the development team christened Project Mildred in her honour.
1925 also marked the first Super Sports’ launch, based on the 3 Litre model with an uprated engine & shorter, lighter chassis making it the first Bentley to top 100 mph. With just 18 of them built, it also established truly rarified exclusivity as the “Super Sports” breed’s second defining aspect. After then laying dormant for decades, the Supersports name roared back into glorious life in 2009 as the first-generation Continental GT’s pinnacle variant. This was the Continental family’s first pure 2-seater, its 100 kg lighter weight helping it exceed a heady 204 mph.
Its even faster and more thrilling successor came in 2017, based on the second-generation Continental GT & powered by a 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 like its illustrious forebear, now generating 710 hp. To match that output figure, 710 examples were eventually produced.
With its predecessors all having defined the ultimate performance evolutions of their respective model families, the new Supersports now charts its own distinct direction. Instead of focusing on top speed, it aims for maximum driver engagement by combining the most extreme weight reduction in Bentley’s history with a new powertrain.
Indeed, its non-hybridized & purely internal combustion heart is a newly strengthened version of Bentley’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 boasting larger turbos, upgraded cylinder heads, and a stronger crankcase. The results are 666 hp with 800 Nm of torque; the most power dense outputs of any Bentley engine yet, delivered via the ZF 8-speed double clutch transmission common to other Bentleys but redeveloped here with uprated clutches & a new shifting strategy for the Supersports. Gearshifts are now more sharply responsive than before, while downshifts are precisely calibrated for stability during deceleration.
This engine breathes through a full-length titanium exhaust crafted to produce more aural character than any previous Bentley, developed with Akrapovič and wholly unique to the Supersports. It amplifies the cross-plane V8’s sound to an incredibly compelling level, with deeply powerful notes that are completely authentic with no artificial in-cabin enhancement. Those who find such false audial trickery anathema to their purist ears will find much to love here.
3.7 seconds is all it takes the new Supersports to cross 62 mph / 100 km/h from rest, while top speed is projected at 192 mph / 310 km/h. More important than the raw numbers however, is how the Supersports will behave dynamically. In this regard, Crewe’s chassis engineers took a bold step for driver engaging agility by making it the first rear-wheel drive Continental road car in history.
An eLSD apportions power to the rear wheels alone, that in turn boast a track increased by 16 mm over the standard Continental GT. It’s complemented by brake torque vectoring, with both systems working together to sharpen cornering turn-in while maximizing traction. Rear-wheel steering is also retained here for maximum heightened agility, without compromising stability.
Recalibrated ESC settings enable the driver to specify their preferred degree of assistance – from fully-on, through a Dynamic Mode that gives a controlled level of slip and oversteer within defined limits – to fully off where the driver takes full control & can even pitch the Supersports into gloriously tyre melting but still highly controllable oversteer angles.
Meanwhile, the Drive Dynamics Controller governs three new driving modes. Touring mode matches the Continental GT Speed’s Sport mode performance character, but gives increased ride height, softer damping & a more discrete exhaust character ideal for cruising discreetly through urban centres; while on a mission worthy of James Bond, for instance.
Bentley Mode sharpens performance character with more dynamic gearbox strategy, throttle pedal and chassis calibrations. It also opens the exhaust valves for enhanced sound, while making launch control available should the need arise to out-accelerate any would-be adversaries. Finally, Sport Mode unleashes the car into its ultimate level of driver engagement with maximum chassis & powertrain responses to match.
Double aluminium front wishbones and a multi-link rear axle make up the Supersport’s highly accomplished chassis, while air suspension springs & new twin chamber dampers feature independent ECU-controlled bump and rebound parameters. There is also Bentley’s proprietary Dynamic Ride 48V electric anti-roll control that applies up to 1300 Nm of anti-roll reaction torque in just 0.3 seconds, along with the world’s largest automotive braking system – 440 mm Carbon-Silicon-Carbide (CSiC) discs clamped by 10-piston calipers up front with 410 mm discs paired to 4-piston calipers at the rear.
Weighing in at under 2000 kg, nearly half a tonne of mass was shaved from the Continental GT to create the Supersports. A good chunk of this is accounted for by the pure combustion engined RWD powertrain architecture, while a carbon fibre roof panel in place of the standard aluminium item further saves weight while lowering the car’s overall centre of gravity. Like its 2009 and 2014 predecessors, its rear cabin environment & sound insulation have been deleted with the audio system being reconfigured for just the forward cabin, cutting even more lard.
Naturally for such a sporting Bentley, the Supersport’s new exterior elements refine its aerodynamics while making it the most visually aggressive Grand Tourer out of Crewe yet. Crafted from carbon fibre to save even more weight, these are led by a new lower front bumper with the largest aerodynamic splitter ever featured on a road-going Bentley. Paired cooling channels on either side of it duct fresh air to the front brakes and engine respectively; while above it, a new lightweight mesh grille unique to the Supersports has been laser cut from extremely fine aluminium to lend the car an even more imposing facial demeanour. Twin pairs of stacked dive planes are mounted to the front bumper’s outer corners, working in tandem with the splitter to further negate front lift.
New B-shaped fender blades just behind the front wheels extract high-pressure airflow from the front arches, before flowing it along the body side & down new lateral sill panels to reduce drag along the wheelbase’s length. Round the back, a fixed one-piece rear spoiler sits proudly astride the boot lid’s top; while a redesigned rear bumper now incorporates an efficient rear diffuser along with rear wheel arch vents that also negate air pressure build-up within them.
With extensive testing having honed the functional forms of each aerodynamic element, the nett result is over 300 kg more peak downforce than the Continental GT Speed, while maintaining an ideal aero balance along the car’s length. Their weight savings also help maintain its dynamic weight distribution, starting at 54:46 when stationary and gradually moving rearwards as speed increases to help reinforce its sense of agility.
Final carbon fibre finishing touches comprise the wing mirrors and engine cover, while the Supersports’ new rolling stock consists of 22” forged & machined aluminium alloy wheels developed with specialists Manthey Racing who are more normally known for their outstanding work on fast track focused Porsches. These come in either a Black Painted finish, or Black Painted and Machined with a silver metal accent. When shod with new optional Pirelli Trofeo RS performance tyres, the Supersport’s performance refinements enable it to carve corner apexes about 30% quicker than the Continental GT Speed, generating a remarkable 1.3 Gs of peak lateral acceleration.
On the inside, the Supersport’s purely 2-seater motorsport inspired interior fully reflects its singular purposeful mission of being a highly engaging drivers’ car. Every element has been specifically chosen to elevate its driving experience, including new lightweight driver & passenger sports seats mounted lower in the car with increased lateral bolstering and carbon fibre shoulder elements. Yet to ensure comfort, they feature 11-way electric adjustment while retaining heating functionality. A lightweight, precision engineered carbon fibre tub wraps around the rear cabin in place of its deleted seats, finished with a leather wraparound design to deliver a more cleanly purposeful ambiance together with the rest of the cabin.
High gloss, lightweight carbon fibre veneers abound across the fascia panels and waistrails, while Supersports badging & specific embroidery remind lucky occupants just what sort of Bentley they’re in. Finally, an individually numbered badge is affixed to each Supersports’ centre console before it departs the factory; with customers able to specify a particular number they would prefer out of the 500-car production run.
In terms of finishings, these start with a specially selected core range of 24 performance-focused colours, with additional touches including Supersports logos and matte paint available via Mulliner for those who desire something more bespoke. In line with that thinking, Bentley’s design team has conceived five ‘Design Themes’ including either a small contrast coloured vertical stripe and Supersports script on the lower body side behind the front wheel, or a series of twin colour contrasted stripes across the car’s rear quarters.
The Supersports featured here wears the “Nightfall” Design Theme, which blends a purposefully menacing Anthracite gloss exterior paint finish with a Camel lower bodywork accent, Camel lower front striping & a contrasting grille number 8. Its official launch premiere will take place in Dubai next January, celebrated with the most dynamic and exciting debut film of Bentley’s history. Order books will then open in March, followed by the start of production in Q4 2026 before first deliveries at the beginning of 2027. Supersports availability will be made open to customers in the UK, Europe including Switzerland and Turkey, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Oman, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar & Kuwait.
