Bentley Supersports: A Firm Grip on the Brake

The event location on the shores of Dubai. A direct view of the architecturally stunning sail of the legendary Burj Al Arab. Final preparations are underway. A bit of vacuuming here, bartenders prepping for the big night there. Four hundred VIP guests are expected. Even nature seems to have sensed the changing tides at Bentley: a surprisingly fresh breeze blows in from the sea.

Darren Purvin appears remarkably relaxed. As the Project Leader for the Bentley Supersports, there is little left for him to do now but enjoy the moment. His primary mission was to bring the vehicle to production readiness. We sat down with him to discuss a car that is more radical than anything that has ever rolled out of Crewe.

Mr. Purvin, how should we imagine the moment when CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser—formerly Head of Porsche Motorsport—approached you and said: "A pure driving machine, please"?

Darren Purvin: It started about 18 months ago. Frank-Steffen Walliser was discussing with the technical team: "How far can we push the dynamics of our current GT?" From that point on, we wanted to find out. Within a few weeks, we built a prototype: rear-wheel drive, under two tons. We tested it on the track. The board drove the car—and everyone loved it. It was a completely new approach for Bentley: Handling and driving pleasure instead of focusing mainly on straight-line top speed. My responsibility is to shepherd this car from the initial concept through production to the final handover to the customer.

A Bentley under two tons sounds almost impossible. How did you pull it off?

We cut back radically. The battery and hybrid system of the standard model alone weigh over 200 kilograms—all of that was tossed out. Pure rear-wheel drive. We removed the rear seats, saving another 28 kilograms. Even the sound insulation was reduced so you can actually hear the V8 again. Then came a titanium exhaust system and lightweight wheels by Manthey. Carbon fibre body parts both contributed to the increased downforce as well as weight saving. Every single gram was put to the test.

Normally, developing a car takes years.

This was extraordinary. Frank-Steffen Walliser set me a goal: two years until delivery. We worked in a tiny, extremely dynamic team. We call it the "Captains Model." Every department head sat at the table; decisions were made instantly. Delivering eight test cars in less than nine months is groundbreaking for Bentley. But I like that—I come from a delivery background; I need that tempo.

To circle back to Frank-Steffen Walliser: how much Porsche spirit is in the Supersports?

This car definitely carries Frank’s fingerprints. But he didn’t just come to us and say, "This is how we do it now." Instead, he took the shackles off and allowed the engineers and designers to do what they had always wanted to do. He brought the "Bentley Boys" spirit back to the surface.

Bentley is usually associated with luxury lifestyle, while Travis Pastrana is known for extreme stunts. Now, of all people, he’s the one driving onto the stage in Dubai.

That is exactly the point! We are taking Bentley into a completely new territory. Who would have ever thought Travis Pastrana would drive a Bentley? No one! When my two sons found out, they were absolutely floored. But it’s precisely this combination — the radical car package, the setting, the story — that brings the brand into a new world.

Speaking of Pastrana: he drives the car quite spectacularly in a video. Were there technical adjustments made for that?

Yes. To allow Travis to move the car the way he does, we installed a hydraulic handbrake and a line lock-function to spin the rear tires at standstill. You don’t normally find that in an automatic car. But for those drifts, it was indispensable.

And this handbrake features a very specific detail, right?

Exactly. Engraved on the side of the handbrake is the name "Mildred." It’s an homage to Mildred Mary Petre, a legendary racing driver from the 1920s. She borrowed a Bentley Blower for a 24-hour race back then. When asked who her team was, she replied: "I’m driving it myself." In 1924, she maintained an average speed of 145 km/h—for 24 hours straight! She was a bit wild, always on the edge. "Mildred" was our internal code name for the entire project. Having Travis drift with a "Mildred" handbrake brings the whole story full circle. Literally (laughs).

Is there still a chance to get hold of one of the 500 cars?

Officially, they are all sold. We now have a waiting list. This is a completely new sales model for Bentley, but the feedback has been overwhelming. Many customers are collectors, but many simply want that analog, pure driving feel again.

Is Bentley becoming a pure sports car brand now?

We remain a luxury brand, but we are stretching the boundaries. We can do SUVs, we can do limousines, we can do Grand Tourers. But we have now proven that we can also build lightweight, fast driver’s cars.

You’ve been with the company for over 20 years. Is this your most important project?

It is definitely the most exciting. I’ve worked on almost every Continental model, but here we are bringing Bentley's racing DNA back to the surface. And who knows—perhaps we’ll see this car, or a version of it, back on a real racetrack one day in the future.