The Glovebox: Return of the Bentley Supersports, the ultimate rural Range Rover and the car collection fit for The King

The most-driver focused Bentley yet

The internal combustion engine isn’t dead yet, at least not if Bentley has anything to say about it. The recent announcement of the latest Supersports has got people purring, with Bentley saying it is the lightest Continental GT they have ever produced, and without any electric motors to be seen. More importantly, it looks very cool, like a Batmobile for the discerning country gent or lady.

Some statistics, because we like those. It is the first sub two-tonne Continental GT ever. A twin-turbo non-hybrid V8 producing 657bhp. A top speed of about 192mph, a 0-62mph time of 3.7 seconds, and rear-wheel drive. The largest front splitter ever deployed on a road-going Bentley. 300kg of additional downforce when compared to a Continental GT Speed. 22in wheels with Pirelli Trofeo RS boots on. Not only does this thing look like a beast, it drives like one too. The Americans like to think they are the only ones who can make a muscle car, but I would like to differ.

Limited to just 500 examples, the car will likely start terrorising the roads of Great Britain in the final quarter of 2026 — which is ideal, as the rest of the country will likely be sat at home playing the new Grand Theft Auto. Let’s look at some more pictures.

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Pretty much everything on this car has been upgraded, from the engine, to the bodywork, to the brakes, transmission, suspension and exhaust. Where the standard Continental GT has been a touring workhorse since its launch in 2003 (and arguably one of the greatest British sportscars ever made), this latest iteration of the Supersports is probably the sportiest example yet. And props to Bentley for the styling, as it seems every edition of the Continental GT, and its various special editions, seems to look better than the last.

The Supersports designation can trace its history to precisely 100 years ago, when the first ‘Super Sports’ was launched, becoming the first Bentley capable of exceeding 100mph. A second edition was launched in 2009, and then again in 2017. This year’s example was produced under the codename ‘Project Mildred’, so named after Mildred Mary Petre who, in 1929, drove a Bentley 4.5-litre around the Montlhery circuit in France, solo, for 24hrs, averaging almost 90mph during the attempt. Development for this car began in 2024. Some more pictures.

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‘The new Supersports is more than just the most driver-focused Bentley yet,’ says Frank-Steffen Walliser, Bentley chairman and CEO. ‘It signifies a return to Bentley making more extreme cars – ones that combine extraordinary breadth of ability with true driver engagement, while remaining pieces of automotive artwork unique and bespoke to each customer. Bentley has always thrived when revealing a more daring side, and the new Supersports is a statement of our intent while celebrating 100 years of the name. This is the first project developed from start-to-finish since I joined Bentley Motors, and I’m proud of our team and the speed at which we’ve created a car so different to the GT on which it’s based.’

The ultimate Range Rover?

For the country set, there are aspirations. A nice house, preferably with some kind of thatch or neo-Classical façade. An Aga. Le Chameau Welly boots. Plain English kitchen. 2.4 labradors. And so on. Things of a certain status, that are evidence of a sense of place. A Range Rover by Overfinch. A pair of Holland & Holland shotguns.

Excitingly, for those faced with a choice between one or the other, you need not have to choose any more, with the reveal of the Holland & Holland Edition by Overfinch, ‘The most luxurious Range Rover ever built’. Limited to a run of just 25 examples, the car takes inspiration from the iconic Holland & Holland ‘Royal’ shotgun, and features voluptuous swathes of quilted leather, fine scrollwork on the stainless steel elements, engraved forend diamonds on the woodwork, all parked on top of Range Rover’s top-of-the-range SV platform.

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The icing on the proverbial cake, of course, is the chance to include two companion chests in the boot, perfect place to store a pair of shotguns (I shouldn’t have to tell you what kind), two champagne bottles, and all the accoutrements required for a day in the field.

‘The Holland & Holland Edition embodies the summit of bespoke British luxury,’ says Greg Shilton, lead designer at Overfinch. ‘We have worked to create a car that not only displays extraordinary craftsmanship, but also radiates a sense of heritage and grace.’ We’ll add it to the list.

A collection fit for a King

While we have recently written about the garden of The King at Sandringham, and various of his other more sustainable and environmentally friendly projects, it’s fun to remember every now and then that he also has a passion for cars, with a collection featuring Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, a Lotus, a Jaguar and his famous Aston Martin DB6 Volante Series II (which, in true Charles III fashion, runs on bio-ethanol).

That collection is believed to be valued somewhere close to £12 million, according to experts at Marshall Motor Group (MMG). ‘Royal ownership transforms the value of any vehicle,’ says Ben Welham from MMG. ‘We saw this when the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Range Rover sold at auction for £150,000 — 10 times its estimated £15,000 value. When you’re talking about vehicles with decades of Royal history, particularly rare models gifted between family members, the sky’s the limit at auction.’

The King’s collection includes a 1950s Rolls-Royce Phantom IV, a 1962 Rolls-Royce Phantom V, two Bentley State Limousines, a 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI, and various others. While it is a superb collection, it pales into comparison when compared to other heads of state; the Sultan of Brunei, for example, has a collection of some 7,000 cars that is estimated to be valued at about $5 billion.