Hot new Bentley Continental Supersports ready to ruffle Ferrari feathers

A new era of high-performance Bentley Continental GTs is about to begin, with the British brand teasing a new flagship model that has cars like the Ferrari 12Cilindri and Aston Martin Vanquish in its crosshairs.

A teaser image has been revealed by the brand, showing the rear of an existing Bentley Continental GT with a few very aggressive modifications. These include a large lip spoiler, a redesigned bumper and a far more aggressive diffuser.

The dark teaser image doesn’t reveal a colour, but the covered badge suggests this is a wrapped development car, so it’s likely that some of these elements may not be on the final production version. The performance focus of the changes is undeniable, however, leading only to more questions than answers. 

The first is the powertrain – and in this case we expect Bentley to push the boundaries of its existing engine options. With the W12 dead, and the V8 now only available with a plug-in hybrid module attached, this new model is expected to offer a more old-school solution. 

Expect to see fitment of a highly-strung iteration of the twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine without its hybrid components. A lower-spec 542bhp version of this engine had been found in this generation of Continental for years, but the more expensive twelve-cylinder above always capped its ultimate power figure. 

Other models that run on the Bentley’s MSB platform are capable of producing up to 631bhp with this engine, such as the previous-generation Porsche Panamera Turbo S. This could give us a pointer as to its potential power figure of the new Supersports. 

The engine will be connected to the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, but from here Bentley is expected to ditch the all-wheel drive system for rear-wheel drive. This, combined with the lack of a plug-in hybrid system, should see this Continental GT cut its weight figure by hundreds of kilograms, possibly brushing much closer to two tonnes, rather than the 2.5 tonnes of the current Speed plug-in hybrid. 

The last piece of the puzzle is the name. Bentley has confirmed that it will bring back a moniker that was first used 100 years ago, and more recently on a model that came not long after the Continental’s relaunch at the beginning of the 21st century. This evidence points towards a reboot of the iconic Bentley Continental Supersports. 

We don’t have any more information at this stage, but expect the new flagship to be the most expensive two-door Bentley Continental in the range, with a price point likely to start closer to £300,000 than £200,000. It’ll show face later this year.

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