But Bentley and Travis Pastrana? Never in a million years would you put them together. The pinnacle of handcrafted British luxury and the hero of Gymkhana/NASCAR/Rallycross occupy very different spheres of influence in the automotive sector. Or that used to be true, at least until Bentley decided it was going to make a 666-horsepower rear-wheel drive car called the Supersports. And find a way to equip it with a hydraulic handbrake to make skidding even easier. If necessary, Pastrana is your man – so that’s exactly what Bentley has done.
While we’ve all seen cars sliding around on YouTube before, this ‘Supersports: Full Send’ video is really something you should see. The car in question is still a Continental GT in most respects, a huge luxury coupe that still looks a lot like it despite the new paint scheme. We all know what he should theoretically be capable of, but now that the power is gone and a professional is behind the wheel, he is truly extraordinary. While technological advances in recent years have made all GTs more capable (and generally more fun) than ever, they haven’t put the rubber to the test yet. Just like King Charles does Crossfit (and does it well), it’s hard to tear your eyes away.
Pastrana goes full Gymkhana around Crewe HQ, with decent burnouts, donuts and powerslides, which the Supersports seem to be taking in stride (although heaven knows what it looked like in the end). Perhaps unsurprisingly for a high-performance, long-wheelbase RWD car, the big Bentley seems completely at ease sideways, and there are absolutely no issues when it comes to tire firing. A special Mildred-embossed handbrake (the project name for the Supersports) is there to help when needed. Probably don’t expect that on the Mulliner options list…
Pastrana said, “I knew the Supersports would have a lot of power, but I was pleasantly surprised by how agile and fun it was to drive. I have never driven a production car to film a video of this magnitude. With no clutch or custom steering angle I had my concerns, but the Supersports exceeded all my expectations. It was exactly what I had hoped for: the perfect combination of luxury and performance.”
What’s the point? To laugh about it, it seems, because if a front-engine, rear-wheel drive coupe with 666 hp isn’t entertaining, then Bentley has missed its mark. Who wouldn’t want to show that? Crewe deserves some credit for that: just try to watch this and don’t dream of the next try. Buyers may not do anything more extreme than winding around a roundabout with the DSC relaxed, but they’ll probably be very happy when they see this, knowing what their new Bentley is capable of. Something Bentley has never been able to do before. When showing off a new car’s USP currently seems to focus on really fast charging or an AI gimmick, it’s still nice to see Bentley indulging in some old-fashioned, sloppy folly. It looks like 500 customers will be very happy, as will their tire fitters…
#Bentley #Supersports #Pastrana