As promised during last week’s EV update, Bentley has pulled the cover off the new Supersports, a limited-run model that aims squarely at driving purity rather than grand touring comfort. It brings rear wheel drive, a lighter structure, and a two-seat layout to the Continental GT family for the first time. The introduction comes exactly a century after the first Bentley Super Sports, with the name now changed to one word.
This new version is a driver’s car, meant to show how far the platform can be pushed when weight, grip, and driver feel take priority. Bentley announced that only 500 individually numbered cars will be built, with orders opening in March 2026, production scheduled in late 2026, and the first deliveries in early 2027.
The new Supersports
The Supersports has an ICE 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 producing 657 hp and 590 ft-lb of torque matched with an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox that sends power only to the rear wheels. Accelerating from 0 to 62 mph takes 3.7 seconds, and the top speed is 192 mph. Focus on weight reduction brought the car below 4,000 pounds, helped by deleting the rear seat, a carbon fiber roof panel, reworked components, and fewer driver-assist systems than other Bentleys. Bentley says this is the lightest model it has produced in 85 years.
Exterior changes generate more than 660 pounds of downforce, exceeding that of the Continental GT Speed, helping the Supersports maintain traction. The design team focused on airflow management across the entire body, and the carbon fiber components play a key role in both cooling and stability. The Supersports is a strict two-seater. New lightweight sports seats sit lower in the cabin than usual, with deeper bolstering and carbon elements. The rear area is a carbon fiber and leather shell.
Project Mildred and the name’s return
The Supersports development program began as an experiment in 2024. Engineers built a single test mule to see how a rear-drive, lighter Continental GT would behave. The results pushed the project forward under the codename Mildred, chosen in honor of Mildred Mary Petre, a racer who set endurance records in a Bentley 4½ Litre in 1929. Petre also broke records as a powerboat racer and airplane pilot. Her reputation for pushing limits made her a fitting inspiration, according to the team.
The original Super Sports in 1925 was the first Bentley to exceed 100 mph. The name returned in 2009 and again in 2017 as range-topping versions of the first two generations of Continental GT. The new model shifts the focus from outright top speed to maximum driver involvement through weight reduction and simplified mechanicals.
