Bentley as a brand has a long and storied history of skunkworks performance projects. W.O himself launched the first ‘Supersports’ 3-litre in 1925. Throughout the subsequent eight decades, Bentley engineers would continue to push the engineering envelope across road and race cars.

By the mid 2000s, their focus turned to the Continental GT. What effect could a program of weight loss have on their successful grand-tourer? Over 110kgs was shaved off, whilst power was upped resulting in the lightest and most powerful of all first generation Continental variants.

This example was supplied in February 2011 by Bentley Cheltenham. It remains in its original specification, the exterior being finished in Silver Tempest. It’s a colour that is still in Bentley’s range today, which means that despite being 14 years old, it remains up-to-date.

The bodywork is in excellent shape, as a ‘Supersports’ this car benefits from the redesigned bumpers, bonnet vents and the brightwork finished in dark smoked steel. The wheels are 20” ten-spoke items that are unique to the model, wrapped in a matching set of Michelin tyres. Tucked behind the wheels are the all important carbon ceramic brakes which bring this 2.2 tonne machine to a halt.

Inside the interior is the exquisite luxury you would expect from Bentley but with a performance twist. To save weight, Bentley did away with the rear seats and for the fronts they’re framed in carbon fibre. The leather hide is Beluga, with contrasting Portland stitching and piping. The seats also feature diamond stitched alcantara centres, a material that is replicated on the door cards as well as the headlining. The centre console is finished with a mix of machine aluminium and carbon fibre.

Under the bonnet, Bentley upped the power thanks to some clever recalibration and an improving intake system to achieve 621 bhp and an earth churning 800 nm of torque. That power is sent to all-four wheels via a Quickshift ZF 6-speed automatic gearbox. That combination allows the Supersports to reach 60 in just 3.7 seconds, almost a full second faster than the base car.

With all that engineering on tap, it’s important that these cars are maintained to a high standard. The extensive records for this car show it has consistently been maintained either within the Bentley dealer network, or with independent specialists:

08/2011 - 717 miles - Service - Bentley Manchester

06/2012 - 3,359 miles - Service - Bentley Cheltenham

07/2013 - 5,793 miles - Service - Bentley Cheltenham

06/2014 - 13,437 miles - Service - Bentley Cambridge

07/2015 - 20,809 miles - Service - Bentley Cambridge

06/2016 - 24,023 miles - Service - Bentley Cheltenham

03/2017 - 26,257 miles - Service - Bentley Bristol

10/2018 - 27,250 miles - Service - Independent Specialist

05/2019 - 31,215 miles - Service - Independent Specialist

04/2021 - 37,041 miles - Service - Independent Specialist

04/2023 - 39,000 miles - Service & Inlet manifold gaskets - Independent Specialist

05/2024 - 41,600 miles - Service - Independent Specialist

12/2024 - 41,770 miles - Service - Independent Specialist

Bentley continues to make excellent motorcars that become increasingly more capable and luxurious. But, the Supersports will forever be etched into the brand's history. As the most powerful, and most powerful variant of their first vehicle produced under the VW group’s ownership.

It goes without saying that the W12 powered Continental Supersports is a future classic, not only does it hold an elite status within Bentley’s post acquisition range, but it also houses an iconic but now retired W12 heart.

As with all our vehicles, a full digital folder is available on request containing more images, walk-around videos, and scans of the service history. The car can also be viewed by appointment at our West London showroom.