{"id":945840,"date":"2026-10-25T15:28:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T15:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/945840\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T15:28:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T15:28:11","slug":"bentleys-balletic-new-supersports-delivers-a-smooth-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/945840\/","title":{"rendered":"Bentley’s ‘Balletic’ New Supersports Delivers a Smooth Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tAs the old roadster comes to life on a narrow hillside road, the cacophony of the 12-cylinder engine only amplifies my sense of exposure and vulnerability\u2014and that\u2019s just from the passenger seat. But then I\u2019m riding shotgun in a 1925 Bentley<\/a> Super Sports, the British marque\u2019s first model to send the speedometer\u2019s needle past 100 mph. For my turn behind the wheel, I don a helmet and make my way to another similarly monikered two-seater waiting in pit lane. Although the cars are only 50 yards apart, there\u2019s over a century between them.<\/p>\n

\n\tWeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Northen California hosts my introduction to the 2027 Bentley Supersports<\/a>. Priced starting at $486,200 and limited to 500 examples, it\u2019s only the fourth iteration of the nameplate. Unlike its earliest predecessor, the latest Supersports is both a dynamically souped-up and strategically pared-down version of the most recent Continental GT<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"2027<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFrom left: The 657 hp twin-turbo V-8 delivers 590 ft lbs of torque; the performance-focused cockpit is still defined by elegance.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Bentley<\/p>\n

\n\tIn this exclusive guise, though, it\u2019s the only street-legal Continental to feature a rear-wheel-drive configuration. Its engine is a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8\u2014mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission\u2014delivering 657 hp and 590 ft lbs of torque. And while the output is less than that of the current hybridized GT, the Supersports weighs a touch over 4,409 pounds; the only Bentley below that figure was from 1940. However, that reduced heft only enhances the vehicle\u2019s gravitas with respect to performance, as I discover when approaching the track\u2019s Corkscrew, renowned for an initial descent into seeming nothingness followed by a 59-foot elevation drop requiring precise and quick choreography.<\/p>\n

\n\tObviously, there are automotive dance partners far lither, but this is the most balletic non-motorsport Bentley you\u2019ll find\u2014its athleticism owed to lightweighting measures that include a carbon-fiber roof and the complete removal of rear-passenger space. In addition, composite aero considerations at the front, such as stacked dive planes, fender blades, and Bentley\u2019s biggest production-car splitter to date, all complement the back end\u2019s new diffuser and fixed spoiler. The result is a cumulative downforce touted as more than 661 pounds greater than that of the GT Speed variant.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"2027<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThis is the lightest Bentley since 1940.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Bentley<\/p>\n

\n\tEqually responsible for this Bentley\u2019s milestone handling are the Supersports\u2019 electronic limited-slip differential, rear-wheel steering, suspension aided by a 48-volt active anti-roll bar, and enormous carbon-silicon-carbide brakes. Those stoppers bite on 22-inch aluminum-alloy wheels dressed with, at least in our car\u2019s case, Pirelli Trofeo RS rubber. Such impressively engineered checks and balances are fully appreciated when zero to 62 mph has been dispatched in 3.7 seconds, and the main straight\u2019s terminus is approaching much faster than the car\u2019s 192 mph top speed.<\/p>\n

\n\tExiting the still-baronial cockpit, defined by the automaker\u2019s signature three-dimensional surfacing and peerless upholstery (hello, it\u2019s a Bentley), I\u2019m struck by the 100-plus years of automotive advancement experienced between this modern British muscle car and its bygone-era namesake. Yet from the golden age of the Bentley Boys to the marque\u2019s current renaissance, the Supersports\u2019 one constant is its role as the Flying B\u2019s internal-combustion benchmark. Bravo.<\/p>\n

\tAuthors<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Viju<\/p>\n

\n\t\tViju Mathew\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Shifting gears from his degree in physical geography, Viju Mathew has spent the last decade covering most categories of the luxury market prior to becoming Robb Report’s automotive editor. Along with\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tRead More\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the old roadster comes to life on a narrow hillside road, the cacophony of the 12-cylinder engine…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":945841,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[86525,49,48,323677,4419,61],"class_list":["post-945840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-bentley","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-first-drive","tag-magazine","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/945840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=945840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/945840\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/945841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=945840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=945840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=945840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}