Meet the 700bhp Bentley Continental Supersports

This new Supersports is about one thing and one thing only – the engine.

Things could get off to a bad start with this Continental Supersports. They certainly would if you saw that Supersports label, took in the big wing on the back, the bonnet vents and all the rest, and assumed you were about to drive a super sports car. You’re not. You’re driving a Bentley Continental with relatively few changes to chassis or anything else. Except in one important area.

The suspension settings are the same, so is torque distribution, tyres, all that, no change. There’s a slight weight decrease, but for a car like this 40kg is just a rounding error. No, the change is under the bonnet.

There, the venerable 6.0-litre W12 has been asked to perform one more trick before it is replaced later this year. It’s still a mighty engine, but now with the turbos blowing even harder. The two figures are instructive: 700bhp and 750lb ft of torque. Those two figures interacting are what this car is about.

This is a big, heavy, luxurious car yet it can hit 62mph in just 3.5sec. But that’s not the thing. Here’s the thing: it can go from zero to 100mph in just 7.2sec. That’s like being fired from a gun. One of those immense guns on a warship. That’s quicker than the latest Honda NSX, quicker than a Nissan GT-R.

Shove the throttle down and you get the feeling not that the car is accelerating but that it’s so powerful it’s made the planet rotate faster under its wheels. It does this by a brilliant interplay between torque and horsepower, with a ferocious launch at lower revs which then segues into a howling, thundering rush for the redline. You will be pushed back into your plush armchair, no question.

At this point, we need to bear in mind we are in a car weighing 2.3 tonnes, which is nose heavy and which hasn’t had any further remedial work to chassis or suspension to cope with the extra thrust. If you want to be reminded of the effect of this, simply go into a fast corner going very fast.

You will instantly start making some serious demands of the carbon ceramic brakes, and then you’ll find yourself pushing wide. It’s not fun. So you have to learn how to corner how the Bentley wants you to corner. Which is the old adage of slow in, fast out. Do that and you’re in big business.

Go in with sensible entry speed, turn in to apex, get on the power. You’ll feel the torque vectoring working, nudging the line tighter, as the horsepower and torque start to hurtle you out of the turn and down the straight. Do it like this and you’ll be impressed how such a big, luxurious saloon can get round the corners so fast. Be cavalier though and you’ll wish you hadn’t.

However, this is a Bentley, and the ride quality is fabulously good. The whole cabin is so well finished, so big and comfy and luxurious that you know you could drive all day and get out without making any involuntary noises.

Is it worth over £200,000? It’s not if you’re confused about what it is. But if you understand that it’s a traditional Bentley but with everything cranked up to 11, then maybe it is. Not everyone will get it, not everyone would consider it acceptable having to change the way they drove to suit the car, but if you’re not everyone then this big Bentley might make you very happy indeed.

Bentley Continental Supersports

Location Lisbon, Portugal
Price £212,500
Engine W12, 5998cc, petrol
Power 700bhp at 5900rpm
Torque 750lb ft at 2050rpm
0-62mph 3.5sec
Top speed 209mph
Gearbox 8-spd dual-clutch automatic
Kerb weight 2280kg
Economy 18.0mpg (combined)
CO2 358g/km 37%

Graham Scott is a writer for AutoCar.