Exactly a century after the first Bentley “Super Sports” rumbled onto the scene in 1925 — a machine so fast it embarrassed aircraft — the name returns. And it’s not here to play nicely. This is the fourth Supersports in Bentley’s history, and by the sound of it, Crewe’s engineers have slipped something wild into the teacups again.

Meet the new Bentley Continental GT Supersports — the lightest, most driver-focused, and, for the first time ever, rear-wheel-drive Continental GT. That’s right. The stately heavyweight of the grand tourer world has just been handed a cheeky pair of dancing shoes.

The original Supersports was built when Bentley Boys were racing leather-helmeted and slightly unhinged at Brooklands — a time when the word “aerodynamics” meant how fast your moustache flapped. Since then, the Supersports badge has popped up only three times: each one louder, faster, and more absurd than the last. The 2009 version had a twin-turbo W12 and torque enough to alter geography. The 2017 iteration flirted with 700bhp and could tow the moon out of orbit.

So what now?

Bentley’s keeping the juiciest bits locked up until the official unveiling in New York — 20:30 local time on Thursday, 13 November (that’s 01:30 GMT for us nocturnal petrolheads). But we do know this: it’ll be limited-run, rear-driven, and lighter than anything Crewe’s built with a number plate. Expect a stripped-down, sharpened-up Continental that trades its gentleman’s cufflinks for racing gloves.

If history’s any guide, the Supersports won’t just be a faster Bentley. It’ll be the maddest one — the car that proves even after 100 years, Bentley still knows how to misbehave when the mood takes it.

So set your alarms. Because when the covers come off in New York, we might just see the poshest burnout ever attempted.

Source: Bentley