Certain partnerships just make sense, but Bentley and Travis Pastrana? On paper, it sounds ridiculous. One represents hand-built British opulence, the other is synonymous with Gymkhana chaos, rallycross and all things sideways. That contrast used to feel impossible to bridge, until Bentley decided to build a 657 hp (490 kW), rear-wheel drive monster called the Continental Supersports. Then they went one step further and fitted it with a hydraulic handbrake. If something needs to be driven hard and dramatically, Pastrana is the obvious choice. Bentley knew it.
We have all watched cars sliding around on YouTube, but this video (seen below) genuinely hits different. The car is still recognisably a Continental GT, still a huge luxury coupe with presence and polish, now wearing a more aggressive livery. You know what it should be capable of in theory. Strip away the front drive, add a world-class driver, and suddenly it becomes something else entirely. Modern GT cars are faster and more capable than ever, but they are rarely seen laying down rubber with this kind of commitment. Watching it feels almost surreal, like seeing royalty unexpectedly smashing a deadlift. You cannot look away.
Pastrana takes it apart around Bentley’s Crewe headquarters with proper burnouts, donuts and long, committed slides. The Supersports just shrugs and carries on, although you can only imagine what state the tyres were in by the end. For a powerful rear-wheel drive coupe with a long wheelbase, it looks completely at home sideways, happily turning expensive rubber into smoke. A special Mildred-embossed handbrake, named after the internal project title, helps things along when needed. Do not hold your breath for that appearing on the Mulliner options list.
Pastrana summed it up neatly. ‘I knew the Supersports would have a lot of power but I was happily surprised by how nimble and fun it was to drive. I’ve never driven a production-based car to film a video of this magnitude before without a clutch or modified steering angle. I had my concerns, but the Supersports exceeded all of my expectations. It was exactly what I had hoped for, the perfect combination of luxury and performance.’
So what is the point of all this? Mostly, it looks like Bentley wanted to have some fun. Why would you not want to show this side of the car? Crewe deserves credit for leaning into it.
Most buyers will never do more than the odd enthusiastic exit from a roundabout with the stability control loosened, but they will love knowing what their car is capable of.
With around 500 customers expected, plenty of people are going to be very happy. Their tyre suppliers, even more so.