The Bentley Supersports: A stripped-out engineer’s indulgence

宾利 Supersports：工程师的极致减重之作

MONTEREY, Calif.—Last week, we brought news of the Bentley Torcal, a new electric vehicle that the luxury automaker has been cooking up at its HQ in Crewe, England. The company wants to attract new customers with its first battery EV, part of a plan to make sustainability as much a part of the brand’s character as its high-end fit and finish. 加利福尼亚州蒙特雷——上周，我们报道了宾利 Torcal 的消息，这是这家豪华汽车制造商正在其位于英国克鲁的总部研发的一款全新电动汽车。该公司希望通过其首款纯电动车型吸引新客户，这也是其可持续发展战略的一部分，旨在将可持续性打造为品牌特色，使其与高端的工艺和质感并驾齐驱。

W12 engines have given way to V8 plug-in hybrid power, and the new Continental GT is all the better for it. But around the same time as Ars got its first experience of that new PHEV two-door on a rather wet Spanish racetrack, some of Bentley’s boffins were wondering what might happen if you also built one without the hybrid stuff. Or all-wheel drive—something that has been a characteristic of every new road-going Bentley since the turn of the century. That would certainly cut the curb weight. So, too, would leaving out the rear seats. W12 发动机已让位于 V8 插电式混合动力系统，新款欧陆 GT 也因此表现更佳。但就在我们（Ars）在湿滑的西班牙赛道首次体验那款新款插电混动双门跑车的同时，宾利的一些工程师们也在思考：如果打造一款没有混合动力系统的车型会怎样？或者去掉自本世纪初以来每款宾利公路车都标配的全轮驱动系统又会如何？这无疑会降低整备质量。同样，取消后排座椅也能达到减重的目的。

That sort of idea leads down a well-trodden path for some OEMs, and Porsche in particular is famous for making stripped-out road cars inspired by its race cars and making money from them, too. Then again, Bentley still knows a thing or two about racing, most recently conquering the challenging and prestigious Bathurst 12 小时耐力赛 in 2020 with a GT3 version of the Continental GT3. And like that race car, its new Supersports settles for the relative simplicity of a 4.0 L twin-turbo V8 under the hood, powering just the rear wheels. There’s even more extreme aero than you expect to see on a road-legal car with a flying B badge, too. 这种思路对于一些汽车制造商来说是一条成熟的路径，尤其是保时捷，它以制造受赛车启发、精简配置的公路车并从中获利而闻名。话又说回来，宾利在赛车领域也颇有建树，最近一次是在 2020 年凭借欧陆 GT3 赛车征服了极具挑战性和声望的巴瑟斯特 12 小时耐力赛。与那款赛车一样，新款 Supersports 选择了相对简洁的 4.0 升双涡轮增压 V8 发动机，仅驱动后轮。它还拥有比你预想中挂着“飞翔 B”车标的合法公路车更为极致的空气动力学设计。

The lightest Bentley since 1941

自 1941 年以来最轻的宾利

The engine is actually a new variant of Bentley’s 4.0 L V8, with a strengthened engine block, new cylinder heads, and larger turbos. There’s also a dual-mass flywheel, but it remains wet-sumped. With 657 hp (490 kW) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm), the Supersports isn’t the most powerful Bentley ever made, but it may be the most driver-focused. Both front and rear axles feature 48 V active anti-roll bars that can react in a third of a second, applying up to 960 lb-ft (1,300 Nm) of reaction torque to keep the car flat. The twin-valve dampers and air suspension have been recalibrated in Touring, Bentley, and Sport modes. And on the optional Pirelli Trofeo RS tires, it will corner at 1.3 Gs. 这款发动机实际上是宾利 4.0 升 V8 发动机的新变体，采用了强化缸体、新气缸盖和更大的涡轮增压器。它还配备了双质量飞轮，但仍保留了湿式油底壳。Supersports 拥有 657 马力（490 千瓦）和 590 磅-英尺（800 牛·米）的扭矩，虽然不是宾利史上动力最强的车型，但它可能是最以驾驶者为中心的。前后轴均配备了 48 伏主动式防倾杆，可在三分之一秒内做出反应，施加高达 960 磅-英尺（1300 牛·米）的反作用扭矩以保持车身平稳。双阀减震器和空气悬架在“旅行”、“宾利”和“运动”模式下均经过重新调校。在选装倍耐力 Trofeo RS 轮胎的情况下，其过弯侧向加速度可达 1.3 G。

The Supersports certainly looks the part as it descends into that most famous of Laguna Seca’s corners. You don’t really notice the carbon-fiber roof that helps keep the center of gravity low, but you do see the aerodynamic appendages—a front splitter, winglets ahead and aft of the wheels, a rather large and curvaceous carbon-fiber spoiler at the rear together with a diffuser down below. The bits are functional—Bentley told us it generates at least 661 lbs (300 kg) more downforce than the Continental GT Speed we reviewed last year and that the car’s aero balance has been tuned to shift rearward as speed rises. 当 Supersports 驶入拉古纳塞卡赛道最著名的弯道时，它的外观确实名副其实。你可能不会太在意有助于降低重心的碳纤维车顶，但你一定会注意到那些空气动力学套件——前分流器、轮拱前后的扰流翼片，以及车尾硕大且曲线优美的碳纤维扰流板和下方的扩散器。这些部件功能性十足——宾利告诉我们，它比我们去年评测的欧陆 GT Speed 多产生至少 661 磅（300 公斤）的下压力，并且车辆的空气动力学平衡经过调校，随着速度提升，重心会向后偏移。

From inside the cockpit, it feels the part, too. Despite the acres of carbon-fiber on the dash, the pair of sports seats are comfortable and offer plenty of electric adjustment, and they hold you in place even as you throw the car over a crest or down into the apex of the Corkscrew. Even taking some curb isn’t a problem. With a curb weight of “less than 4,407 lbs (1,999 kg),” the lightest Bentley in 85 years is still a pretty substantial thing, but it minded not being asked to ride over the red-and-white serrations, soaking up plenty of intrusion before it could reach the cabin. 从驾驶舱内部看，它的感觉也同样到位。尽管仪表盘上铺满了碳纤维，但这对运动座椅依然舒适，提供充足的电动调节功能，即使你在翻越坡顶或冲向“开瓶器”弯道顶点时，也能将你牢牢固定在座位上。即使压过路肩也不是问题。作为 85 年来最轻的宾利，其整备质量“低于 4407 磅（1999 公斤）”，虽然依然是个大家伙，但它并不介意压过红白相间的路肩，在震动传导至座舱前，悬架已经吸收了大部分冲击。

Once the Trofeo RS tires are warm, there’s plenty of front grip, and as you apply power, the car’s electronic limited-slip differential helps tighten your line. The 4.1 degrees of rear steering also do their part to aid agility in the slower corners. And since the brakes are unchanged from the hybrid Continental GT, they’re more than up to the job of slowing down a car that weighs 1,100 lbs (500 kg) less. The Supersports isn’t a difficult car to drive, and it’s easy enough to catch should it break loose—at least with the suite of traction and stability control systems still active. 一旦 Trofeo RS 轮胎达到工作温度，前轮抓地力非常充足。当你加速时，车辆的电子限滑差速器有助于收紧过弯线路。4.1 度的后轮转向系统也在慢速弯道中提升了灵活性。由于刹车系统沿用了插电混动版欧陆 GT 的配置，对于一辆轻了 1100 磅（500 公斤）的车来说，制动性能绰绰有余。Supersports 并不难驾驭，即使车辆出现侧滑，也足够容易修正——至少在牵引力控制和稳定控制系统开启的情况下是如此。