Hard Core: Bentley’s 2026 Continental Supersports

by Howard Walker

The 2026 Bentley Continental Supersports. Photo courtesy of Bentley

Just when you thought Bentley might be moving away from performance with its plush-riding, grand-touring Continental GT, say hello to the stunning, new Continental Supersports, the brand’s most driver-focused model ever.

In its pursuit of driving thrills, this new Supersports ditches the regular Conti GT’s all-wheel drive for rear-drive only, jettisons all that hefty plug-in hybrid tech for straight twin-turbo V8 thrust, and hits the GT with a hefty dose of Ozempic.

The Bentley sports a massive new front splitter, dual stacked dive planes on either side of the bumper, and an eclectic array of air-gulping intakes. Photo courtesy of Bentley

The result? A near-1,000-pound weight reduction, bringing this new super-coupe in under a fighting-fit 4,400 pounds.

Other weight-saving trickery includes ditching the Continental GT’s heavy rear seats. Yes, it’s now a two-seater. The coupe’s steel roof has also been replaced with a lightweight carbon fiber version, while most of the new body sections are also carbon.

Bentley's trusty 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 is coupled to an eight-speed, paddle-shifter automatic. Photo courtesy of Bentley — Bentley’s trusty 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 is coupled to an eight-speed, paddle-shifter automatic. Photo courtesy of Bentley

And talking of body, this is without doubt the coolest, most hard-core, most extreme-looking road-going Bentley ever, and second only to the 2003 Le Mans-winning Speed 8 racecar in the beauty pageant stakes.

Just look at the thing. Everything from that massive new front splitter, dual, stacked dive planes on either side of the bumper, and an eclectic array of air-gulping intakes. Love the new mesh grill, too, though hopefully the distracting Number 8 logo on the grill is a delete option.

The new mesh grill on the Bentley Supersports. Photo courtesy of Bentley

At the rear there’s a new spoiler on the trunk lid, while the sides feature hard-to-miss Supersports lettering between the bodykit-like add ons. Cool new 22-inch alloys developed in partnership with German Porsche 911 GT3 specialists, Manthey Racing, are at each corner. In short, this is a beast.

Beneath that mile-long hood, Bentley sticks with its trusty 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 minus the hybrid system, and coupled to an eight-speed, paddle-shifter automatic. It’s good for 657 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque which, says Bentley, will deliver 0-to-62 mph sprinting in 3.7 seconds and a 192 mph top speed.

New Manthey Racing-developed 22-inch alloys are at each corner. Photo courtesy of Bentley

No, this new Supersports isn’t about ultimate performance. That distinction still goes to the current Conti GT Speed with its mighty 771 hp, 738 lb-ft and rocket ship 0-to-62 mph time of 3.2 seconds (plus a 208 mph top speed).

Instead, this new Supersports uses its massive weight reduction to sharpen its handling, heighten the driving thrills, and send even more tingles through the driver’s fingers. And expect 657 hp and rear-wheel-drive-only to create an absolute hooligan oversteering drifting machine.

Lightweight, body-gripping sports bucket seats with 11-way power adjustment. Photo courtesy of Bentley

Suspension changes include new twin-chamber dampers, and the addition of Bentley’s 48-volt active anti-roll system, plus an electronic limited-slip differential, and brake-biased torque vectoring for the rear wheels.

As you’d expect, the Supersports’ brakes are other-worldly. Think 17-inch rotors clamped by 10-piston, carbon-silicon-carbide calipers at the front, and 16s and four-piston calipers at the rear.

A stunning high-gloss carbon fiber dash sports the Supersports logo. Photo courtesy of Bentley

Unique for the Supersports are two tire choices, with Pirelli P-Zeros as standard and Trofeo RS rubber as an option. And remember that all those aero changes to the front and rear generate an astonishing 661 more pounds of downforce than a Conti GT Speed. That, along with the weight reduction, means this newcomer can corner approximately 30 percent quicker than a GT Speed. Oh what fun.

Inside, it’s all racecar drama. Instead of those vestigial rear seats, there’s a carbon-fiber-and-leather tub for storage. Up front, there’s a pair of lightweight, body-gripping sports bucket seats with 11-way power adjustment, and a stunning high-gloss carbon fiber dash the with the Supersports logo writ large.

Inside the Bentley Supersports. Photo courtesy of Bentley

Take your pick from a palette of 24 body colors and 22 leather choices, with Bentley’s bespoke Mulliner division no doubt willing and able to offer customization to your heart’s and wallet’s content.

If all this sends you reaching for your Amex Centurion card, hang on a sec. Production won’t start until the end of next year, with the first cars reaching lucky customers by early 2027. But don’t hang around too long; order books open in March for the limited run of 500 Supersports. Sticker price? Around $486,000.

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