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The 1999 Continental SC Is the Rarest Way to Be a Gentleman Racer

Before the Bentley Continental GT became the globe-trotting symbol of nouveau-luxury speed, Bentley was already experimenting with how to make old-money muscle feel modern. One of those experiments—the Continental SC, also known as the Sedanca Coupe—is now resurfacing at auction, and it might be one of the most interesting Bentleys most people have never heard of.

Built in 1999 on the bones of the Continental R, the Continental SC was Bentley’s idea of a high-speed tuxedo with a removable roof. It was part grand tourer, part targa, and entirely unnecessary in the best possible way. Only 73 were built (plus six even rarer Mulliner versions), making this one of the rarest post-Crewe Bentleys ever produced.

And now one of them—barely driven and still looking freshly tailored—is heading to RM Sotheby’s in Miami.

Old-School Bentley, But Make It Sporty

Finished in classic Bentley black, the Continental SC looks exactly how a late-’90s British luxury coupe should: imposing, formal, and just slightly menacing. The upright matrix grille and mesh lower intakes are flanked by red Bentley badges, a subtle nod that this is no ordinary Continental R. The chrome trim is tasteful, not flashy, and the five-spoke 18-inch wheels give the car a planted, muscular stance.

Everything about the exterior says “banker by day, outlaw by night.”

But the real party trick is on the roof.

A Bentley With a Split Personality

The Continental SC is a targa in the most Bentley way possible. Two removable glass panels sit above the front seats, while a fixed glass roof section covers the rear. Whether the panels are installed or stowed away, the cabin remains bright and open—more Riviera than racetrack.

When you want open-air motoring, the glass panels lift out and disappear into a dedicated trunk compartment. To keep the chassis from turning into a luxury noodle, Bentley borrowed structural reinforcements from the Azure convertible, making this part-coupe, part-convertible Frankenstein surprisingly stiff for something weighing well over two tons.

It’s weird. It’s brilliant. And Bentley would never build something like this today.

Wood, Leather, and Late-’90s Excess

Inside, the SC is peak pre-VW Bentley. Heated leather seats with black piping look barely used, and they’re surrounded by acres of burled walnut, cold metal trim, and the sort of craftsmanship that made Rolls-Royce nervous back then.

There’s also an Alpine audio system with a CD changer, which is a reminder that this car was built when people still curated music instead of streaming it. It’s not modern, but it is wonderfully period-correct.

Turbo V8, Because of Course

Under that long, formal hood lives Bentley’s legendary 6.75-liter turbocharged V8. It makes 400 horsepower and a truly absurd 590 lb-ft of torque—numbers that still feel outrageous today. Power flows through a four-speed automatic, because manuals are for peasants, and Bentley had places to be.

The result? 0–60 mph in just over six seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. That might not sound shocking now, but in 1999 this was supercar territory for something with walnut trim and heated seats.

The Price of Rarity

This Canadian-market example is being sold without reserve at RM Sotheby’s Miami auction and is expected to bring between $250,000 and $300,000—roughly what a brand-new Continental GT costs today.

But here’s the difference: a new GT is mass-produced luxury. This is hand-built, absurdly rare, and nearly untouched, with just 4,330 km (2,691 miles) on the clock over 27 years.

You’re not just buying a car. You’re buying a Bentley that Bentley almost forgot.

And in a world of increasingly digital, sanitized luxury, the Continental SC feels like a reminder of when automakers still took wild, wonderful risks—just because they could.

Source: RM Sotheby’s

NEW CARS

Bentley Continental GT S and GT Convertible S

Bentley has never been shy about mixing indulgence with insanity, but the new Continental GT S and GTC S lean harder into the latter than any “S” model before them. Inspired by the ferocious, limited-run Supersports, these new mid-range heavy hitters now land in the sweet spot between the refined Azure and the full-fat Speed—only now they bring hybrid firepower and the most aggressive chassis ever bolted under a Continental badge.

GT Convertible S

Under the hood sits Bentley’s new High Performance Hybrid, pairing a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 with an electric motor for a combined 680 horsepower and 930 Nm of torque. That’s 130 more horses than the outgoing GT S—and, crucially, it actually outguns the old W-12–powered Speed. Zero to 60 mph takes just 3.3 seconds, and the car doesn’t stop pulling until 190 mph. For a coupe that weighs about as much as a moon, that’s deeply unsettling—in a good way.

Even more shocking is the electric-only range: up to 50 miles. So yes, the same Bentley that can run with supercars can also quietly creep through a city center on electrons alone, like a billionaire ninja.

But the real story isn’t just the powertrain—it’s the hardware beneath it. For the first time, the GT S gets the full Bentley Performance Active Chassis previously reserved for the Speed and Mulliner models. That means active all-wheel drive, rear-wheel steering, a 48-volt active anti-roll system, torque vectoring, twin-valve adaptive dampers, and—finally—an electronic limited-slip differential. This is Bentley’s most sophisticated setup ever, and it transforms the Continental from a continent crusher into something that actually wants to be hustled.

In Dynamic mode, the stability control loosens the leash just enough to let the rear step out, giving the driver real control over cornering attitude. Turn ESC all the way off, and the GT S becomes a 5000-pound physics experiment you can steer with the throttle. That’s not something you’d ever say about a traditional Bentley—and that’s exactly the point.

Visually, the GT S makes sure no one mistakes it for the polite one. The Blackline Specification blacks out nearly everything that isn’t painted, from the grille and badges to the mirror caps and diffuser. Dark-tinted LED matrix headlights and taillights reinforce the menacing look, while standard 22-inch ten-spoke wheels fill the arches like they mean business. It’s less “country club” and more “midnight Monaco.”

Inside, Bentley continues the performance theme without forgetting its roots. The GT S gets a unique two-tone interior layout, fluted sport seats, and Dinamica microfiber on all the right touch points—the steering wheel, shifter, doors, and seats—giving the cabin a more motorsport-inspired feel than any Continental before it. Piano black trim comes standard, with carbon fiber available for those who want to lean even harder into the modern-super-GT vibe.

Continental GT S

The result is a Bentley that finally admits what everyone already knew: a 190-mph, V-8-hybrid grand tourer with rear-wheel steering has no business pretending to be subtle. The Continental GT S doesn’t replace the Speed—it offers a different flavor of madness, one that blends daily usability, long-distance comfort, and real driver engagement into something uniquely Bentley.

If the old Continental was a luxury cruise missile, the new GT S is a stealth fighter—quieter when it wants to be, louder when it needs to be, and far more agile than anyone expects.

And in Bentley’s world, that might just be the most dangerous thing of all.

Source: Bentley

NEW CARS

Bentley Supersports Goes FULL SEND

Bentley doesn’t do low-key. And when the company wants to introduce a 666-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive monster called Supersports, it doesn’t roll it out in a quiet studio or at a polite press conference. It lights up the Burj Al Arab in Bentley green, invites 400 VIPs to a former royal palace, and has Travis Pastrana drift the thing across the company’s own factory like it’s auditioning for a Gymkhana sequel.

Yes, this is a real car launch—and yes, it happened in Dubai.

The Supersports made its EMEA debut at a Bentley-hosted spectacle that was equal parts Hollywood premiere and motorsports fever dream. The evening opened with a dramatic reveal of a launch car in Jetstream Matte with Arctica and Portofino livery, dubbed Daybreak, because when you’re Bentley, even your paint schemes have origin stories. Then, right on cue at 9:00 p.m., Bentley dropped its new stunt film, Supersports: FULL SEND, onto a 12-meter-wide screen and across the internet simultaneously.

Moments later, Pastrana himself rolled in behind the wheel of the same heavily modified Supersports he’d just used to turn Bentley’s historic Crewe factory into a tire-smoking playground. Subtle? Not remotely. Effective? Absolutely.

Pymkhana: Bentley’s Factory, Pastrana’s Playground

Shot at Bentley’s Pyms Lane headquarters—first opened in 1938—FULL SEND is essentially a luxury-brand remix of a Gymkhana video. Bentley calls it “Pymkhana,” which might be the most on-brand portmanteau ever invented.

Pastrana threads the Supersports through production halls, around buildings, and across the Dream Factory campus, turning a place known for hand-stitched leather and polished wood into a high-speed obstacle course. The message is clear: this isn’t your grandfather’s Bentley.

Underneath the spectacle sits a seriously aggressive machine. With 666 PS, rear-wheel drive, and a heavily reworked chassis and aero package, the new Supersports is aimed squarely at proving Bentley can build something that isn’t just fast in a straight line, but genuinely athletic. Think less gentleman’s express, more luxury-wrapped sledgehammer.

A New Bentley, in Every Sense

Bentley says the Dubai event was about more than just a car—it was about a new brand strategy. Christophe Georges, Bentley’s Board Member for Sales and Marketing, framed the evening as a blend of “authenticity, new ambassadors, extraordinary customers, and unexpected product stories.” Translation: Bentley is leaning harder into spectacle, personality, and performance than it ever has before.

The guest list reflected that shift. Nearly 100 Supersports customers were in attendance, rubbing shoulders with Pastrana, actor and Bentley ambassador Lucien Laviscount, and Bentley CEO Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser. And all of it unfolded in the gardens of a former royal palace, with one of the world’s most recognizable hotels glowing green in the background.

If Bentley wanted to signal that Supersports is something special, it did so with a megaphone.

When Can You Get One?

Order books for the Supersports open in March, with production scheduled to begin in Q4 2026 and first deliveries arriving in early 2027. It’ll be sold in key markets across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and parts of Asia-Pacific—basically anywhere Bentley’s most committed customers live and breathe horsepower.

Bentley’s Supersports isn’t just a new model—it’s a statement. A 666-horsepower, rear-drive, tire-shredding statement, delivered via a stunt film shot in a factory and premiered at a palace in Dubai. That’s not just a car launch; that’s Bentley telling the world it’s done playing it safe.

And if Travis Pastrana sideways-sliding a Bentley through its own production halls doesn’t convince you that this brand has entered a new era, nothing will.

Source: Bentley