LISBON, Portugal – 522 kW, 1 017 N.m and 336 km/h. Those are mighty numbers, even by supercar standards. Instead they belong to a four-seat, Grand Tourer (GT) developed by Bentley in the spirit of the original Supersport of 1925. At the time, its 3,0-litre inline four-cylinder engine powered it to a true speed of 161 km/h, double the speed of the opposition vehicles at the time. Can the modern incarnation stay true to the legacy?
Driving experience
I press the starter button of the coupe following our lunch stop and the W12 catches in a subdued but purposeful rumble. Having seen the twisty road section leading to our venue as passenger, I made no excuses as I move the tall, shiny gear lever to sport and toggle the air-suspension setting to firm. No, there is no drive-mode selector and it takes a while to ready the steed. Turning out the gate I drop the hammer and the respectful rumble turns into a roar from the titanium exhausts as the volcano erupts under the bonnet.
The four-wheel-drive system sends the gigantic torque figure to the four tyres that bite the tar and catapult the vehicle to the first corner faster than should be possible given the hefty mass of 2,3 tonne. I stomp on the brake pedal, which forces the pads against the largest diameter (420 mm) carbon discs. Kinetic energy is swapped for immense heat while the ZF-sourced eight-speed downshifts with the overrun burble mimicking the sound of heavy arms fire.
Cornering
Be careful on turn-in, allow the front axle to settle and wait for the corner to open before unleashing the power again. Otherwise tyre squeal and the nose running wide are the result, although the added torque vectoring does help with cornering composure. Clearly this is no hot hatch and I am sure an uber version of the breed would run with the beast on a twisty section. This is not, however, what the GT is designed for (confirmed on the famous Estoril race track later in the day) and as the corners gave way to a deserted stretch of motorway, I keep my foot planted. Any lesser machine is now vaporised by the exhaust wake of the monster as the speedometer rockets round the clock. Yes, this is a superfast car.
Styling
From a styling point of view, Bentley did not mess with the winning formula of the Continental and only added performance elements in the form of re-worked bumpers with a carbon-fibre splitter up front and a diffuser at the rear. The optional rear wing on the coupe negates lift at elevated velocities and the vents on the bonnet help with engine cooling. A set of 21-inch alloys complete the picture with the owner able to configure the styling from stealth to Premier Football League specification if they so desire.
The interior follows the same trend with infinite customisable options including a new tri-colour design and a new carbon-fibre chequered pattern decorating the dash. I found the materials used of exceptional quality, but the infotainment system and placement of some buttons not fitting in such a well-crafted cabin.
The ride
The ride on the standard air suspension is extremely comfortable (even with stiffer roll bars than before) and a more relaxed cruise in the convertible earlier in the day proved that the body control of the weaker structural sibling has improved. The Supersport glides over most imperfections and is only susceptible to a series of minor bumps. The cabin of the convertible stayed calm and pleasant while driving at the national speed limit with the roof down, assisted by the air-scarf system.
Summary
There are spy pictures available that point to a possible replacement of the aging Continental, although Bentley was very tight-lipped about the prospect. Therefore, it is quite possible that the Supersports is the swansong for the range and as it is such a beloved vehicle to Bentley customers, it deserved the maximum attack treatment it received by the engineering team at the Crewe headquarters in the UK. Is it worth almost double the price of other worthy competitors in the segment? Probably not, but only the privileged 710 (which is the production limit) Supersports owners will win all the trump-card questions. Then there is the Bentley badge that possibly settles all the boasting arguments before they even start…