Review: 2027 Bentley Supersports Goes Pure RWDBentleyIf Walter Owen Bentley ever comes back from the dead, Bentley should make sure he sees the new Supersports first. W. O. believed in durability through simplicity, and he also believed racing was the best way for cars to prove themselves. Hand him a modern-day Continental GT, and he'd probably turn it into something exactly like the 2027 Supersports.We got a quick sample of a prototype Supersports with a few laps around the legendary Laguna Seca raceway. We would have loved more time, because the Supersports thrilled the daylights out of us, but it doesn't take much wheeling to understand what this brilliant old-school rear-driver is capable of.The Purest BentleyThe Supersports may not be the hottest Bentley coupe, but it is the purest. A twin-turbo V-8 delivers 657 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque to an eight-speed twin-clutch automatic transmission that immediately passes it on to the rear axle. No motors, no batteries, no all-wheel-drive system, just vaporized dinosaur power sent straight to the rear tires. Bentley has even dropped "Continental" from the name. At roughly 4,400 pounds, it's reportedly the lightest Bentley in nearly 90 years. The base price is $490,350 (customization can double that price, naturally), and the 500 examples Bentley plans to build are already spoken for.BentleyWith electrification doing so much to boost the acceleration of today's supercars in general, we'd nearly forgotten that plain old gasoline can get out of its own way, too. Nail the Supersports' throttle, and the powertrain takes half a tick to gather itself and start moving, but once the cross-plane V-8 finds its feet, it runs like its tail is on fire. Bentley extensively (and expensively) reworked the 4.0-liter engine, fitting larger turbochargers and a variable valve-timing system that isn't used in the hybrid cars. The resulting mountain of torque means you can ignore the shift paddles and concentrate on your cornering line.AdvertisementAdvertisementSpeaking of which, our expectations for the corners were modest; despite all the changes, the Supersports is based on the Continental. The latter is exceptionally competent, but it's still a big luxury coupe. We could have forgiven the Supersports for bearing in its bodily frame the indelible stamp of its jewel-encrusted origin—but we need not. The Supersports may still weigh two and a quarter tons, but heavens-to-Betsy, can it ever boogie.Speed for Gentlemen and GentlewomenWe circled Laguna Seca with a teacup grip, holding the wheel with just thumb and two fingertips. Steering effort is light, and it loads up just enough to provide some tire-load feedback as you dial in more lock. The chassis feels relatively light and agile yet steady and stable, with the nose aero doing its job to keep the front tires on the ground and following your orders. Driving the Supersports fast and quickly is easy and almost relaxing. Of course, there's nothing relaxing about Laguna Seca, but the Supersports wasn't fussed by those "Oh, crap!" moments where we made a sudden application of steering or brake.BentleyThe torque figure of 590 lb-ft is modest compared to electrified sports cars, but it's still a lot of twist. We're always cautious when so much torque is directed at so few wheels, and here Laguna Seca can be especially tricky; there are several corners where you exit well onto the track-edge painted curbs that are slicked with rubber. Equipped with a sophisticated standard-fit electronic limited-slip differential, four-wheel steering, and optional Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tires, our Supersports test car did a brilliant job putting power to the ground. Even if we really belted it, we got only a slight bit of tail-wiggle that the stability control system was happy to correct with a light intervention if we weren't quick enough to catch it ourselves. You can't be stupid, mashing the throttle on every corner exit, but if you apply full power like a gentleman, the Supersports responds in kind.Cut Weight, Not LuxurySpeaking of gentlemanly conduct, we must take a moment to compliment the Supersports' interior. Like all Bentleys, customers can customize the cabins to their hearts' content. Bentley probably could have stripped out another couple hundred pounds with a more minimalist interior, but we're glad it didn't. Our car's deeply bolstered seats faced a largely stock Continental dash and center stack with red leather trim, piano-black trim, and ornate switchgear. Even the carbon-fiber luggage bin that replaces the rear seat looked Bentley-beautiful.BentleyHow did Bentley chop the weight? Along with the deleted rear seat, the Supersports gets a roof and aerodynamic bits made of carbon fiber, and a composite (read: plastic) trunklid. Really, though, most of the weight savings came from eliminating the hybrid drivetrain and its attendant battery. That won't do much for fuel economy, but W. O. always did prefer simplicity. He abhorred the superchargers that gave the famous "Blower Bentleys" their name, and he was right; the first two Blowers to race at Le Mans didn't finish, and the cars' dreadful reliability tarnished Bentley's reputation.AdvertisementAdvertisementBut would the man have approved of a 2.25-ton track car? Probably. Bentley favored heavyweight parts where durability demanded them, then drilled holes everywhere else to save weight. Ettore Bugatti famously called Bentley's 3.0-liter race car "le camion plus vide du monde"—the fastest truck in the world. That's why we can call Supersports a lightweight Bentley with a straight face: Paring a 5,400-pound Continental down to 4,400 pounds is totally a W. O. Bentley move.Yes, He Would ApproveOverall, we believe hybridization has been a good thing for high-power cars, improving launch response and, for those that use dual front motors, sharpening corner turn-in performance. But electric augmentation carries a weight penalty, and the Supersports is a nice reminder of how fast a car can go when it gets back to the basics of big power and rear-wheel drive. It's difficult to say what W. O. Bentley might say about today's mega-posh Bentley lineup, but we have no doubt he would approve of the Supersports.Photo credit: BentleyPhoto credit: BentleyPhoto credit: BentleyPhoto credit: BentleyAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: BentleyPhoto credit: BentleyPhoto credit: BentleyPhoto credit: BentleyAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: BentleyPhoto credit: BentleyPhoto credit: BentleyPhoto credit: BentleyAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: BentleyPhoto credit: Bentley