The new Bentely Supersports has the biggest brakes ever fitted to a car.
Once you’ve finished wide-mouthed gazing at these whooping anchors – fronts are 440mm carbon ceramic rotors clenched by ten piston calipers – you start asking why the hell such monsters are required.
It’s all about intention.
This Bentley, you see, has very naughty plans.
The ‘un-woke’ Bentley
In our age of electrification and dilution of driving joy, the aptly-named Supersports tyre smokes into frame like a dapper lord of the manor giving a two-finger salute to greenies before howling away to a tax haven.
Bentley’s timing is excellent. Its first EV – the Torcal SUV – is just weeks away. So to drown out any boos from brand traditionalists, this two-door Continental GT Supersports is an extrovert reminder the fabled Brit hasn’t forgotten its sporting roots.
Embracing the un-woke, it’s ditched a “normal” Conti GT’s hybrid V8 and replaced it with a unique 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 specifically for this model.
“Our most emotive engine yet, and the best sound character yet,” said Bentley’s Mike Sayer, his green Bentley Motors jacket suggestively sporting a “Full Send” badge.
It’s a road-going GT3 Bentley in all but name.
Under the bonnet
Figures are tasty, despite losing some power and torque by ditching the hybrid’s electric motor. But really, 490kW, 800Nm, 320km/h top speed and 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds is plenty for this track-targeting GT.
All-wheel-drive’s gone for a sportier, lighter rear-drive setup. It’s svelte for a Bentley. In fact, it’s the first from the marque to dip under 2000kg in 85 years.
Helping matters are myriad carbon body parts, a carbon roof, lightweight sports seats, titanium Akrapovic exhaust and removing the likes of sound deadening, driver assist kit and the rear seats. Sorry, kids. Some aero body bits like twin-stacked carbon wheel arch blades favour function over design elegance, but who cares?
It’s a “look at me” Bentley, hence the giant “8” painted in the grille, and “performance focused” paint colours.
Our tester in Dragon Red was red one side and black the other, while inside the firm, grippy bucket seats were mismatched hues too. Those crazy rich folk, eh?
How much?
Speaking of which, a Supersports is $794,000 plus on-road costs for our market, with deliveries due next year. Of the 500 global allocation, there’s already a double-digit number of Aussie customer orders.
Let’s hope the well-heeled buyers know their local racetracks, as that’s where this Bentley wild child belongs.
In fact, Bentley saw fit to chuck us keys at one of the world’s wildest circuits – California’s Laguna Seca – with arguably the world’s wildest corner: The downhill-plunging Corkscrew.
Approaching this blind turn at monstrous speed made me entirely grateful we had those world’s biggest stoppers behind its 22-inch wheels.
The ultimate test
Hard on the brakes before the tight left-hander comes into view, then I see nothing but sky while pitching the big Bentley left. Here, I do my best meerkat impression while trying to spot when to turn for the immediate right hander.
Oops! Bit too off the edge there, and I fear removing that exhaust system (which probably costs more than my Volkswagen) on the rumble strips.
The Supersports feels more agile than any two tonner deserves to. It changes direction with flat, composed delight, aided by optional Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tyres. Once this lap record-chasing rubber is warm, the Supersports feels smaller, chuckable, darty and riotous good fun, helped no end with a much-revised eight-speed dual clutch auto and all that power going only through the rear.
It feels like a proper sports car, just with lovely Bentley things like contrast stitching and embroidery for its leather chairs and knurled metal controls to go with air suspension, an electronic limited slip differential and rear wheel steer.
The idea is you can comfortably drive a Supersports 500 kilometres to a racetrack, enjoy a day’s play, then drive it either home or to the nearest exclusive resort. Few performance cars successfully manage this.
We can’t confuse a Supersports with a 1450kg Porsche 911 GT3 RS: It’s just too heavy and luxurious. At Laguna Seca’s tight final turn it finally feels its size, and no electric kick means acceleration isn’t supercar-like mind-blowing. But on an open stretch it is very fast; power and torque building with booming orchestral accompaniment.
Then its chassis, tyres and aero will help glue you through a fast corner to give you the hero feels.
Plus you’ll look as dapper hopping out of one in a three-piece suit as you would a race suit.