It is something like the record among super sports cars or the mechanical watch. Because driving a Bentley can hardly be much more analogue than in the new Supersports - but unfortunately not much more expensive either.
Not a lightweight, but lighter: Bentley Supersports is chasing corners. Photo: Radu Chindris/Bentley/dpa-tmn
Berlin. Ferrari was dismissed by a few for its electric debut Luce and AMG was hardly any different with the four-door GT. Now Bentley wants to do better. The British are also working on their first electric car and want to lure Generation E with the Tocal SUV from next summer. But first they think about the essentials and are now bringing a new Supersports.
It is based on the Continental GT Speed, but not only loses its first name in bodybuilding, but also its plug-in hybrid and all-wheel drive. This turns the Brit from a poser car into a purist for petrolheads, who have to dig deep into their pockets and let this pleasure cost an impressive 420,000 euros - 80,000 euros more than for the previous top model GT Speed.
In theory no trump card...
On paper, this is a bad deal, because in theory the Supersports offers significantly less than the Speed: Yes, it looks even more brash with its sharp fins on the apron and the carbon collar on the trunk lid, without screaming for attention alone like the cars from its sister brand Lamborghini. And the grill, laser cut from solid aluminum, is a work of art in itself. But the vehicle registration is a disappointment.
While the plug-in hybrid has a system output of 585 kW/782 hp, the four-liter V8 only manages 490 kW/666 hp despite more powerful turbos and new software, and the maximum torque drops from 1000 to 800 Nm. This is also reflected in the driving performance: instead of 3.2 seconds, the Supersports needs 3.7 seconds. And if it runs out of air at 310 km/h, the speed goes another 15 km/h faster.
...but an ace on asphalt
But that's not what Bentley is about. The Supersports stands out not in the quartet, but directly in the heart, because it is the livelier and more fun car. The incredible ten hundredweight less wealth that makes the Supersports the lightest Bentley in 85 years can be felt in every corner - and the lack of all-wheel drive even more so.
As if freed from a heavy burden and glued to the asphalt with 22-inch Pirellis, the lightweight or rather not-so-heavyweight now dances through the serpentines without pushing outwards with force that is difficult to control. And if all the power now goes to the rear axle alone, more life comes back into the rear when accelerating. This gives the Supersports some cheeky momentum on its downside. Anyone who then switches off the stability system has to be wide awake during this wild dance with the elephant.
A titanium trumpet to tear down mountains
In addition to the almost lascivious nonchalance when dancing around corners and the thrilling driving behavior, the sound naturally helps. The exhaust specialist Akrapovič forged a titanium pipe for the athlete, which not only replaces the tailpipes, but also the entire exhaust.
Anyone who storms up a narrow mountain valley with it doesn't just scare bears and sheep from the road up the slopes. But the rumbling when downshifting and the barking when accelerating are so loud that a few rocks can sometimes come loose or snow slabs break off - in any case no comparison to the normal GT, which quickly switches to E mode, especially when going downhill, and thus becomes an acoustic stealth bomber.
Still a lot of luxury - but no more back seat
While the engineers have consistently designed the technology to be fun, the designers keep up appearances. Of course, they tweaked the aerodynamics a bit on the outside. And inside, the roller for the navigation system, clocks and decorative console in the cockpit, which rotates like a high-tech Toblerone to save weight, is only available as an option at no extra charge. And the seats are a little sportier.
But: Even in this car for purists, Bentley affords opulence with thick leather and metal milled from solid metal.
At least that's what you think until you look over your shoulder for the first time. Then at the latest you realize how consistently the British have made the Supersports a driver's car. Because where there was previously a cozy, but far too narrow, leather sofa for the backbenchers, there is now only a carbon shelf to store luggage. Nobody wants to sit there in such a sporty car anymore anyway.
Conclusion: sought-after anachronism
Humming loudly, irresponsible towards the climate, as a pure eight-cylinder engine about as contemporary as a propeller engine in transatlantic liner service and also disproportionately expensive: of course the Supersports is an anachronism and not a viable concept for the future.
But that's precisely why it apparently appeals to those who can afford it. In any case, the small series of 500 copies is already sold out before it starts. That should give the new Bentley boss Frank-Steffen Walliser enough arguments to continue doing one thing in the future without abandoning the other: for example, to park a few more analog gadgets in addition to the politically somewhat correct luxury models and the Torcal as the electric debut.
Data sheet: Bentley Supersports
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