The lightest Bentley since 1941

The engine is actually a new variant of Bentley’s 4.0 L V8, with a strengthened engine block, new cylinder heads, and larger turbos. There’s also a dual-mass flywheel, but it remains wet-sumped. With 657 hp (490 kW) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm), the Supersports isn’t the most powerful Bentley ever made, but it may be the most driver-focused. Both front and rear axles feature 48 V active anti-roll bars that can react in a third of a second, applying up to 960 lb-ft (1,300 Nm) of reaction torque to keep the car flat. The twin-valve dampers and air suspension have been recalibrated in Touring, Bentley, and Sport modes. And on the optional Pirelli Trofeo RS tires, it will corner at 1.3 Gs.

The Supersports certainly looks the part as it descends into that most famous of Laguna Seca’s corners (which is being renamed the “Zanardi Corkscrew” next weekend). You don’t really notice the carbon-fiber roof that helps keep the center of gravity low, but you do see the aerodynamic appendages—a front splitter, winglets ahead and aft of the wheels, a rather large and curvaceous carbon-fiber spoiler at the rear together with a diffuser down below.

The bits are functional—Bentley told us it generates at least 661 lbs (300 kg) more downforce than the Continental GT Speed we reviewed last year and that the car’s aero balance has been tuned to shift rearward as speed rises (and downforce increases) from a 54:46 starting point.

From inside the cockpit, it feels the part, too. Despite the acres of carbon-fiber on the dash, the pair of sports seats are comfortable and offer plenty of electric adjustment, and they hold you in place even as you throw the car over a crest or down into the apex of the Corkscrew. Even taking some curb isn’t a problem. With a curb weight of “less than 4,407 lbs (1,999 kg),” the lightest Bentley in 85 years is still a pretty substantial thing, but it minded not being asked to ride over the red-and-white serrations, soaking up plenty of intrusion before it could reach the cabin.