Bentley Supersports Convertible Revealed in Spy Shots

The convertible member of the Bentley Continental Supersports family has been caught on camera for the first time. Spotted around the Nürburgring on October 21, the Continental Supersports Convertible prototype showed off its rear-wheel-drive layout and the carbon fiber body elements it shares with its coupé sibling under relatively light camouflage. The model is expected to reach the roads in 2027.

What do the spy shots show?

The prototype was testing in matte black with black wheels and relatively little camouflage. This makes it easy to read the details: the fabric roof is clearly distinguishable, and the aerodynamic elements on the front and rear body match exactly those seen on the coupé Supersports. For anyone who has been following this business for thirty years, it is an unusual situation; Bentley usually runs its pre-launch cars with a much more thorough covering.

The shots reveal a deep front splitter, huge side air intakes, a twin dive plane, pronounced side skirt extensions, an integrated diffuser and a large single-piece spoiler covering almost the entire trunk lid. The front bumper appears to be identical to the coupé's, along with the splitter and dive planes; at the rear, the same large ducktail wing is present. The 22-inch forged wheels on the prototype are single-color and uncovered; the tire is identified as a Pirelli P Zero PZ5, whereas the coupé also offers a more focused Trofeo RS option.

On the braking side, the front axle features 440 mm carbon-silicon carbide discs and 10-piston calipers. These components have been officially confirmed from the coupé's specifications; the inference that the same parts are used on the convertible prototype comes from camera footage. Still, there is little reason not to carry hardware of this level over to the cabriolet.

A rear-wheel-drive Bentley Continental: why does it matter?

The decision that defines the character of the Supersports family lies in the drivetrain. Aiming not to be the fastest but the most focused Continental GT in history, this model returns to rear-wheel drive by dropping the plug-in hybrid system and AWD. This is a first for the Continental GT. Lightness is likewise a priority: the coupé version is approximately 500 kg lighter than the standard GT; the removal of the hybrid system and the drivetrain, along with the carbon fiber roof, front bumper, rear diffuser and trunk lid, plus a full titanium exhaust, are the sources of this saving.

The engine is a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8; with larger turbochargers than the standard units, approximately 657 hp and 800 Nm have been reached. In coupé form, the 0-62 mph time is 3.7 seconds. The Cabriolet is expected to be a few tenths slower due to the extra weight brought by its fabric roof mechanism. Meanwhile, a note worth adding: With the W12 retired, the new Supersports is not as powerful as the previous-generation Supersports models. Bentley is not chasing a speed record here, but driver engagement; and it is exactly at this point that the philosophical break begins.

How will the Cabriolet differ from the coupé?

The main difference is at the top of the body: the fabric roof replaces the coupé's carbon fiber roof, inevitably adding a certain amount of mass. In return, the carbon fiber front splitter, ducktail spoiler and 22-inch wheels are shared with the coupé, as confirmed by the images. The coupé equips its rear cabin with an integrated helmet shelf instead of seats, which also shows the philosophical closeness between the two body types; how this solution will be implemented in the cabriolet has not yet been finalized.

The difference between 656 and 657 in the power figures is a typical rounding issue arising from horsepower being measured with different definitions such as hp and PS; a situation familiar to anyone who has been around this business. The actual figure sits in roughly the same region for both.

Where does the Supersports name come from?

The name's family tree traces back to the racing-focused Supersports version of the 1925 Bentley 3 Litre; 85 PS was a serious figure in its class at the time. The name returned as a single word in 2009, defining the pinnacle of the first-generation Continental GT, and was last used on a model series in 2017. The 2026 model year marks the 100th anniversary of the launch of the first Super Sports variant. marking its anniversary year, Bentley once again brought the name into the spotlight.

The coupé presentation on Bentley's official model page also points to this tradition: a two-seat cabin, a carbon fiber helmet shelf replacing the rear seats, the Blackline Specification standard, an Akrapovic titanium exhaust, a laser-cut aluminum grille, carbon ceramic brakes, and an '001 of 500' badge pointing to the number one car of the 500-unit production run. The same blueprint is expected to be measured out for the convertible as well.

Where does the Supersports stand in the big Bentley world?

The standard Continental GT and GTC are on the roads with a 671 PS plug-in hybrid twin-turbo V8; AWD is standard on the GTC. Bentley filled the mid-performance slot with the GT S and GTC S models introduced in January 2026, officially stating that these limited-production models drew inspiration from the Supersports. The Supersports, on the other hand, represents a counter-philosophy within the same family: rejecting the complexity that hybrid and AWD bring, it simplifies weight and drive. So this is not the fastest-accelerating Bentley, but the most focused one; and it expresses this visually as well with motorsport-style elements and aerodynamic modifications.

Looking at it from the perspective of past years, this approach is meaningful. In the past, every new representative of the grand tourer class aimed to be more powerful, faster and more technological; now one of the brands that has reached the top of that arms race is stripping parts away and thinning the layers between the driver and the car. At the launch of the coupé, Bentley had announced that the model, to be unveiled on November 14, would be the first rear-wheel-drive Continental, positioning the car with a sub-2,000 kg target as the most driver-focused Bentley yet. It would come as no surprise for the Convertible to follow the same path.

When and under what conditions will the Convertible arrive?

The model is expected to go on sale in 2027. Production numbers and official pricing have not yet been announced; since the coupé sold out its 500-unit production run with prices starting at £343,000, the expectation that the convertible will be positioned at a higher price point seems reasonable. For now, what we have in hand is that test footage confirms the rear-wheel-drive layout is retained in the fabric-roofed body, and that the coupé's aerodynamic package has largely been carried over. There is no point in including rumor-level figures at this stage; what will become clear when Crewe opens its doors is, for now, limited to what the cameras on the edge of the Nürburgring have recorded.

Still, the picture is bright enough for now: Bentley is not leaving the Supersports as a coupé-only experiment, but carrying it over to an open-top version of the car. This means that, in a segment where limited-production performance models usually remain coupés, the cabriolet can reach the same level of focus. Years ago, cars bearing the Supersports name set out with less comfort than their ancestors and far more intent; the spirit of that tradition has not changed.

Result: Crewe's fabric-roofed contender

The first images of the Supersports Convertible show that the simplification philosophy implemented on the coupé side has not been closed off to this body type. A rear-wheel-drive, hybrid-free, lighter and visually overtly aggressive cabriolet; a candidate to be the most radical offering in the Grand Tourer world. We must wait until 2027 for official details, but the clues given by the prototype point quite clearly: this Bentley chose not to be faster, but to respond more directly.

Sources

• First spy shots of Bentley Supersports Convertible emerge from Nürburgring – The Supercar Blog
• New rear-wheel drive Bentley Supersports Convertible on the way – Auto Express
• Supersports – Bentley Motors
• Supersports: the most driver-focused Bentley ever – Bentley Media
• New Continental GT S and GT Convertible S – Bentley Media
• The Supersports Name Returns as First RWD Bentley - Car and Driver
• Bentley's 2026 Supersports Is Lighter, Louder - MotorTrend