Bentley Supersports

The Supersports has the hallmark Bentley craftsmanship under its hood.

The cabin combines:

• hand-stitched leather
• Alcantara surfaces
• carbon-fibre trim
• metal detailing

The Supersports remains a luxurious feel in a car that is not overly minimalist like many performance cars.

Interior Highlights

Cabin essentials were:

• Diamond-quilted upholstery
• Alcantara steering wheel
• Carbon-fibre dashboard trim
• Supersports embroidered seats
• Handcrafted leather surfaces
• Premium metal switchgear

Cabin Atmosphere

It's the craftsmanship quality that makes the interior feel special.

Almost all surfaces are:

• expensive
• tactile
• meticulously assembled

To this day, the Supersports cabin feels more like a handcrafted and authentic luxury performance car than a lot of newer performance models.

Seating Comfort

Bentley has a history of excellence in seat comfort.

The Supersports follows in the tradition.

Front Seats

The seats provide:

• excellent long-distance support
• strong lateral bolstering
• luxury-level cushioning

Sportiness and comfort are just about right.

Almost every exterior detail has been honed to the Supersports' performance-oriented character, and the Bentley Supersports clearly bears a resemblance to the Continental GT.

The Supersports takes the elegance and the flowing luxury of a standard Continental GT and adds:

• darker detailing
• larger air intakes
• aggressive aerodynamic elements
• exposed carbon-fibre accents

The outcome is a Bentley that's clearly more focused and, yet, still high-class.

Exterior Highlights

The visual elements are:

• Black front grille with gloss black surrounds
• Carbon-fibre front splitter
• Aggressive side skirts
• Unique rear diffuser
• Headlamps and tail lamps are dark-tinted.
• Properly sized, elliptical exhaust finishers.
• Supersports badging
• Carbon-fibre optional engine cover

Bentley also supplied unique forged alloy wheels, which helped to fill the arches and gave the car a muscular appearance. 

Design Philosophy

It is a Supersports that is not trying to be an Italian exotic, and so it is a success.

It preserves Bentley's unmistakable proportions:

• long hood
• muscular rear haunches
• upright grille
• broad shoulders

But on top of that, it has some real performance in mind.

The Supersports is still one of the standout models in Dubai, where luxury performance vehicles are prevalent, thanks to a blend of:

• British luxury presence
• understated aggression
• enormous road authority

It seems to be at the same time costly, fast, and serious.

The defining feature of the Bentley Supersports is unquestionably its engine.

Bentley equipped the car with a heavily upgraded version of its iconic 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12.

Engine Specifications

These figures came directly from Bentley’s official Supersports specifications.

The Character of the W12

To this day, this is one of the best modern GT engines ever designed.

The Bentley W12 is not a supercar with a high-revving engine that has to be loud and aggressive to be exciting to drive; it's a performance car through:

• relentless torque
• effortless acceleration
• smooth power delivery

The actual numbers are amazing, but the manner in which the power is delivered is what makes the Supersports special.

The 1,017 Nm torque works for huge power at any speed.

It's almost ludicrous how easy it is to overtake.

UAE Highway Performance

The Supersports is particularly well suited towards the driving environment in the UAE.

Long highways such as:

• Sheikh Zayed Road
• Emirates Road
• Corridors of movement in Abu Dhabi-Dubai.

Let the Bentley demonstrate its easy high-speed stability.

The W12 is hardly stressed at cruise.

But when the Supersports needs to kick into action, it does just that – and then some.

It's quite a heavy beast, weighing more than two tonnes, and yet it has the launch of a real supercar.

Transmission and AWD System

The W12 was mated to an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission by Bentley.

This gearbox is top-notch as it combines two very different personalities:

In Comfort Driving

• smooth gear changes
• quiet operation
• relaxed cruising

In Sport Mode

• faster shifts
• sharper throttle response
• more aggressive behavior

The AWD system also plays an important role in terms of usability.

The Supersports offers tons of confidence, unlike some rear-wheel-drive supercars that can be daunting in some situations.

Power is used in an efficient and reliable manner.

Chassis and Driving Dynamics

Bentley didn't just go to the Continental GT platform and throw more power at it.

The Supersports underwent significant chassis upgrades for more precise handling.

Chassis Upgrades Included

• Revised suspension calibration
• Enhanced torque vectoring
• Carbon ceramic brakes
• Dynamic Ride system
• Weight reduction measures

Driving Experience

The best thing about the Supersports is its ability to blend antithetical features.

It feels:

• enormously fast
• remarkably stable
• surprisingly comfortable

It's hard to strike that balance.

Most of these super-fast cars trade softness for sharpness. But Bentley was not willing to settle for anything.

Cornering Behavior

The Supersports truck is no sports car.

It is always there by virtue of its size and mass.

However, Bentley's chassis tuning takes the puff out of the car with respect to its regular Continental counterparts.

The steering feels:

• precise
• weighted properly
• confidence inspiring

Body roll is very well controlled by the Dynamic Ride system for a grand tourer of this size.

Ride Quality

The Supersports' best part is that it feels like a Bentley on the cruise.

When set for comfort, the suspension stays:

• composed
• refined
• long-distance friendly

It's that split personality that sets the Supersports apart from a slew of its rivals.

It can behave like:

• a luxury GT
• a speedy autobahn gun
• a performance coupe

This can vary depending on the driving conditions.

Technology and Infotainment

The Supersports' technology now seems a bit outdated in comparison to the modern luxury vehicles.

It provided a nice premium technology package, however, at the time of its launch.

Technology Features

• Touchscreen infotainment system
• Navigation
• Premium audio system
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Driver assistance functions
• Configurable driving modes

The focus of the system was simplicity and not a lot of digitization.

Braking Performance

The Supersports had large carbon ceramic brakes.

These were needed due to the car's tremendous performance capacity.

Benefits

• powerful stopping ability
• fade resistance
• improved high-speed stability

In UAE driving conditions, however, where high-speed braking stability is paramount, the braking package still impresses.

Ownership Perspective

The Bentley Supersports is a car that is bought for emotional reasons.

It caters to buyers who value:

• handcrafted luxury
• large-displacement performance
• grand touring character

Instead of maximum efficiency, simplicity.

UAE Ownership Strengths

The Supersports suits the UAE luxury car culture in particular, as it provides:

• huge road presence
• exceptional highway comfort
• immense power
• exclusivity

Also, it's not just a supercar to be used for supercar driving, as is the case with many supercars.

Things to Consider

However, prospective buyers also need to know the facts:

• Running Costs
• very high fuel consumption
• expensive maintenance
• costly tyre replacement
• premium servicing requirements

Not an economically rational car.

However, that's not the point.

Collectability and Legacy

The Bentley Supersports was gaining growing appreciation amongst fans as it was the final step in Bentley's grand touring W12 theory.

It combined:

• peak W12 performance
• traditional Bentley craftsmanship
• usable real-world luxury

Before the strong shift of the industry towards electrification.

That makes the Supersports anything but a one-night stand.

The Bentley Supersports is one of the best modern ultra-performance grand tourers.

It worked because Bentley didn't lose its essence for speed.

Rather, it produced a car that incorporated:

• handcrafted luxury
• immense W12 power
• genuine usability
• long-distance comfort

But into one? superbly charismatic package

The Supersports still feels special today because few performance cars do so well in the following aspects:

• massive displacement
• mechanical character
• luxury craftsmanship
• effortless high-speed performance

Bentley may never be made again like this in the automotive industry.

Overall Rating: 9.2 / 10

The Bentley Supersports is a staggering grand touring car—a wolfpack with a lamb's heart; a ruthlessly swift yet undeniably opulent W12 masterpiece that was a quintessential example of Bentley's skills in blending old-world craftsmanship and cutting-edge high-performance engineering.