Bentley Just Built a Supersports Without Hybrid Power. And It Lost 1,000 Pounds

Bentley has spent the past few years making its cars faster with more technology, more power and, increasingly, hybrid systems. The new Supersports takes the opposite approach.

The 2027 Bentley Supersports is a stripped-back version of the Continental GT built around one idea: make the car lighter and more engaging to drive.

That meant getting rid of the hybrid system, removing the front drive hardware and even taking out the rear seats. What remains is a two-seat Bentley with a twin-turbo V8, rear-wheel drive and a lot less weight.

Automotive journalists got their first chance to drive a prototype around California's WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca this week, and the early verdict has been unusually enthusiastic.

Bentley went back to the basics

The biggest change is under the bonnet.

The Supersports uses a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 producing 657 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. There is no electric motor helping it along and no battery pack.

Power goes through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission to the rear wheels. That makes the Supersports the first production Continental GT to use rear-wheel drive.

It is a striking departure from Bentley's current performance formula, where hybrid assistance and all-wheel drive have become central to producing huge power figures.

The Supersports is actually less powerful than some of those hybrid Bentleys. Its appeal is elsewhere.

Bentley has taken roughly 1,000 pounds out of the car, bringing its weight down to around 4,400 pounds. Much of that saving comes from removing the hybrid hardware, but Bentley also uses carbon-fibre body panels and other lightweight components throughout the car.

It is built to be driven hard

The weight reduction changes how the car behaves.

The Supersports gets rear-wheel steering, active anti-roll technology, revised suspension settings and a rear differential designed to help manage the V8's power.

At Laguna Seca, reviewers found that the car felt much more willing to change direction than the larger, heavier Continental GT models.

That is the point of the Supersports. Bentley isn't trying to win a horsepower competition with its own hybrid cars. It is trying to make a Bentley that feels more involving when someone actually gets behind the wheel.

MotorTrend's Aaron Gold, who drove the prototype at Laguna Seca, described it as a return to the simpler performance philosophy associated with Bentley founder W. O. Bentley.

There is a catch: only 500 will exist

The Supersports is not going to become a common sight on the road.

Bentley plans to build just 500 examples worldwide, with the cars already spoken for according to reports from the first-drive event.

The starting price is around $490,350, before owners begin adding the extensive customization options Bentley is known for.

Performance is still serious. Bentley lists a 0–60 mph time of around 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 199 mph, while the car's lower weight and rear-wheel-drive setup are intended to make it more enjoyable through corners rather than simply faster in a straight line.

A very different kind of Bentley

The interesting part about the Supersports is what Bentley chose not to put in it.

There is no hybrid assistance. No all-wheel drive. No rear seats. And no attempt to make it the most powerful car in Bentley's range.

Instead, the company has taken one of its biggest and most luxurious coupes and removed a substantial amount of technology and weight.

That approach would have sounded strange a few years ago, when the industry was racing towards bigger power figures and increasingly complicated performance systems.

But the Supersports is making a different argument: sometimes a faster car is not necessarily a more enjoyable one.

For the 500 people who managed to secure one, Bentley is offering something increasingly rare in the modern performance-car market — a very expensive, very powerful car that is deliberately trying to feel simpler.