Category Archives: NEW CARS

NEW CARS

2027 Bentley Supersports: The Return of the Beast

A century after the very first Bentley “Super Sports” broke the 100-mph barrier, Bentley has resurrected its most fearsome badge — and delivered the most driver-focused Continental ever to wear it. The new 2027 Bentley Supersports is a rare moment of rebellion from Crewe: rear-wheel drive, two seats only, weighing under two tonnes, and powered by a roaring twin-turbo V-8 with no hybrid help whatsoever. This isn’t the genteel grand tourer you remember. This is Bentley gone feral.

The Most Focused Continental in History

At the heart of the new Supersports is a thoroughly reworked 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, now strengthened, boosted, and sharpened to deliver 666 PS (657 hp) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) exclusively to the rear wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Bentley claims a 0–62 mph time of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of around 192 mph, but the raw numbers are almost beside the point. What matters is engagement.

To that end, Bentley hasn’t just shuffled components — it has rewritten the Continental GT’s genetic code. This is the first rear-drive Continental GT in history (race cars aside), assisted by a newly tuned eLSD, wider rear track, and torque vectoring by brake. ESC modes now include everything from fully supportive to fully unhinged, with a “Dynamic” map allowing controllable, Bentley-polished slip angles.

Rear-wheel steering remains to keep the massive coupe agile, and the chassis receives entirely new calibrations for steering, suspension, and power delivery. The result? Bentley says the Supersports can corner 30 percent quicker than a GT Speed when fitted with the optional Pirelli Trofeo RS rubber, generating up to 1.3 g of lateral force.

More Downforce Than Any Bentley Road Car

If the Continental GT Speed is a velvet fist, the new Supersports is the brass knuckle. Nearly every exterior change serves function first: a new front bumper with the largest splitter ever fitted to a Bentley, stacked carbon-fiber dive planes, new side sills, “B-shaped” fender blades, a full carbon diffuser, and a fixed rear wing.

Combined, these aero additions produce 300 kg more downforce than a GT Speed, while maintaining balanced lift and shifting weight rearward at higher speeds. Carbon fiber trims more weight from the roof, mirrors, and engine cover, while the entire rear cabin — seats, insulation, trim — has been removed and replaced with a carbon-fiber tub. The result: the lightest Bentley in 85 years, dipping below the 2000-kg mark.

Standard brakes are immense 440-mm carbon-ceramic front discs with 10-piston calipers — the largest production car brakes on the planet.

A Cabin Built for Driving, Not Cruising

Open the door and you’ll immediately realize this isn’t a Continental that happens to be sportier — it’s a sports car with Bentley fit and finish. Two heavily bolstered sports seats sit lower in the chassis, wrapped in leather and Dinamica, with carbon-fiber shells peeking around their shoulders.

The rear seating area is gone, replaced by a sculpted carbon-fiber structure trimmed in leather. Carbon fiber veneers are standard, though buyers can spec brushed or engine-turned aluminum. A numbered badge on the center console reminds you — and your passenger — that only 500 examples will exist.

Project Mildred: Bentley’s Secret Skunkworks

Internally, the Supersports began life as Project Mildred, named for Mildred Mary Petre — a record-setting racer and pilot who drove a 4½ Litre Bentley for 24 hours at Montlhéry in 1929. The project started quietly in late 2024 as a back-channel experiment to see what a lightweight, rear-drive Continental could feel like.

One track mule later, the results were convincing enough for Bentley’s new CEO, Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, to green-light the full program. Walliser calls the Supersports “a return to Bentley making more extreme cars” — and given the timing, it becomes the first full vehicle developed under his leadership.

A Name With a Violent Pedigree

The Supersports lineage reads like Bentley’s greatest hits:

  • 1925 Super Sports: Short-wheelbase 3-Litre, the first Bentley to crack 100 mph; only 18 built.
  • 2009 Supersports: Return of the badge; 204 mph; first two-seat Continental.
  • 2017 Supersports: 710-hp W12 monster; then the most powerful Bentley ever.

The new model shifts focus from outright top speed to driver involvement — a philosophical reboot for Bentley performance.

Customization: From Nightfall to Daybreak

Mulliner will indulge the usual Bentley buyer fantasies:

  • 22 hide colors, 11 secondary hides, 9 accents
  • A unique tri-tone interior option
  • 24 standard paint colors plus bespoke Mulliner finishes
  • Exterior themes with striping, contrasting number graphics, and carbon-fiber accents

Launch cars come in two themes:

  • Nightfall, an Anthracite gloss with Camel striping and Beluga/Camel interior
  • Daybreak, Jetstream Matte with Arctica/Portofino accents and a Damson/Light Blue/Pillar Box Red cabin

Price and Availability

Bentley hasn’t announced pricing yet, but with only 500 units and a list of standard equipment that reads like a motorsport catalog — Akrapovič titanium exhaust, Manthey Racing forged 22s, carbon-ceramic brakes — expect a number well into the six-figure stratosphere. Order books open in March 2026, production starts in late 2026, and deliveries begin early 2027. Markets include the UK, Europe, U.S., Canada, Australia, the Gulf, and select Asian regions.

Source: Bentley

NEW CARS

McLaren 750S Project Viva Dazzles Ahead of Las Vegas Grand Prix

In a city that glows in a million shades of neon, McLaren has chosen to make its statement in black and white. Ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the British marque has pulled the wraps off Project Viva, a one-off McLaren 750S commissioned and crafted by McLaren Special Operations (MSO)—the brand’s in-house atelier responsible for the most exclusive, imaginative, and obsessively detailed cars to wear the McLaren badge.

Project Viva is more than a showpiece; it’s a manifesto of McLaren’s design philosophy. Where most automakers would mirror Vegas’ electric palette, MSO took a contrarian route—reinterpreting the city’s pulse and spectacle through a monochrome lens. The result is an art piece on wheels: intricate, hand-painted linework that transforms the 750S into a kinetic sketch, capturing the rhythm of the Strip, the shimmer of marquees, and the energy of a city that never powers down.

“The ‘Sketch in Motion’ livery isn’t about color—it’s about character,” says Jonathan Simms, Director of McLaren Special Operations. “It captures the story of Las Vegas not through brightness, but through movement and form.”

That form is unmistakably McLaren. The 750S, already the brand’s lightest and most powerful series-production supercar, provides the perfect canvas for MSO’s vision. Underneath the paint lies the familiar 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, punching out 740 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, launching the coupe from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds. But for once, the performance isn’t the headline—it’s the artistry that steals the show.

The livery blends Muriwai White, a shade that traces its roots back to McLaren’s founding story, with a newly developed hue called Vegas Nights—a deep black finish flecked with microscopic specks of cyan, magenta, and green, designed to subtly mimic the city’s nocturnal glow. The interplay between light and motion makes Project Viva shimmer like a pencil sketch caught mid-gesture. Every stroke, every fade is hand-applied—a testament to the patience and precision that define MSO’s craft.

Adding an extra layer of personality, McLaren Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri lent their own touch to the project. Their signatures and sketches adorn the car, alongside the tenth Constructors’ World Championship star etched on the rear bumper—a quiet but powerful nod to McLaren Racing’s enduring pursuit of excellence.

Inside, the Viva maintains its purposeful restraint. Black Alcantara, white contrast stitching, and laser-etched details echo the exterior’s monochrome artistry. It’s theatrical but not gaudy—pure McLaren minimalism, filtered through Vegas’ relentless sense of drama.

Simms sums it up best: “Project Viva captures what MSO is all about—pushing beyond convention to create something truly personal. It’s where craft meets character.”

Project Viva will make its public debut at the McLaren Experience Centre inside the Wynn Las Vegas from November 13–20, just ahead of the Grand Prix weekend. It’s a fitting stage for a car born from contrast—a monochrome masterpiece in a city addicted to color, and a reminder that true spectacle doesn’t always have to glow.

Source: McLaren

NEW CARS

BMW X1 Shadow Edition: The Dark Side of Entry-Level Luxury

BMW’s smallest SUV might be nearing a generational shift, but that hasn’t stopped Munich from giving it one last shot of espresso before the next iX1 takes the stage. Spy shots already confirm the electric successor is deep in development, yet the current “U11” X1 isn’t ready to ride quietly into the night—especially not in Japan, where BMW has just unveiled the new X1 Shadow Edition.

Murdered Out, Munich-Style

True to its name, the Shadow Edition is all about turning down the lights. Based on the entry-level sDrive18i, it leans heavily into the blackout aesthetic. The signature kidney grille—normally chrome on this trim—is finished in gloss black, and the rear model badging disappears altogether for a stealthier rear profile. Even the window trim and roof rails get the Shadowline treatment, standard here rather than optional.

Riding on 19-inch alloys, the Shadow Edition adds a brawnier stance to what is, otherwise, a fairly mild-mannered crossover. Inside, buyers get a few sweeteners: a Harman Kardon premium sound system and BMW’s Technology Package, bundling up the sort of features that usually require a climb up the trim ladder.

Power from the Baby Bimmer Engine

Underneath the darkened skin, the powertrain remains familiar—perhaps too familiar. The 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine delivers 154 horsepower and 230 Nm (170 lb-ft) of torque, sent to the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

It’s the same setup you’ll find in the standard sDrive18i, and while it’s smooth and efficient, it’s far from performance-oriented. In fact, some markets even get a weaker version—the sDrive16i—with just 122 hp. That makes this Japan-only special less of a speed demon and more of a style statement.

Limited Numbers, Big Appeal

Only 240 units of the X1 Shadow Edition will be built, each priced at 6,110,000 yen (around $40,000 USD). Deliveries are set to begin before the end of the month, and orders are already open. Given Japan’s appetite for limited-run, high-style variants, expect these to vanish quickly.

Looking Toward the Horizon

While this blacked-out sendoff keeps the current X1 in the spotlight, BMW’s engineers are already deep in development on its successor. A facelifted U11 X1 is expected around mid-2027, bringing iDrive X, Panoramic Vision, and other elements of BMW’s Neue Klasse tech suite. Interestingly, the next-generation iX1 EV will coexist with the refreshed gasoline-powered model, marking a transitional phase as BMW straddles the combustion and electric eras.

Until then, the Shadow Edition stands as a stylish reminder that even at the entry level, BMW still knows how to mix a little drama with its pragmatism.

Source: BMWBlog