Bentley's lean, mean machine
The Bentley Continental Supersports is "the latest and meanest of the phenomenally successful Continental series", says Andrew English in The Daily Telegraph.
And as you watch the fuel gauge swing to empty at alarming speeds, you can console your conscience with the fact that this Bentley can run on bioethanol. Bentley believes that, although the hype has died down, biofuels still have a future, and that, although not cost-free in environmental terms, do have benefits over oil.
But whatever the case may be, this Bentley does not mean compromise, either in terms of luxury or performance. Its 5,998cc, W12 engine still delivers 621bhp and does 0-60mph in 3.7sec and a top speed of 204mph.
And as for the luxurious interior, the "vibe is modern, edgy, purposeful – and yet there's the usual Conti comfort and build quality", says Tim Pollard in Car. It's "very focused for a Bentley": the front seats are "carbon clamshells that grip hard but still offer the support a Bentley owner would expect" and "composites and Alcantara trim swathe most visible surfaces".
And to drive? "Our brief test ride took in some pretty brutal acceleration, sideways action and tested the brakes to the full ... As far as we could tell from the passenger seat, it's a well resolved car. It's Continental, magnified, with a harder, purer sporting focus. My abiding impression of the Supersports is that it's a full-bore sports car for our times."
To drive it is a "revelation", says Andrew Frankel in The Sunday Times. It's "so much more nimble than a standard Continental", and it has a "new-found level of poise and grip". Because it's been 78 years since Bentley last built a proper sports car, many thought it never would again. "They were wrong: the Supersports is here to prove it."
Price: £163,000. Available from November.