What's the news?
Bentley officially unveiled its Continental GT3 race car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. With talk that the new racer 'exploits the incredible performance beneath the skin of every Continental GT', the competition car features more power, less weight and a massive aero kit in order to bring these claims to reality.
Exterior
The body is based on the standard road-going Continental GT; although a new aero-focused body kit has been fitted. The enormous carbon fibre rear wing keeps downforce high and the front splitter helps to prove aerodynamic balance. The bonnet, bumpers, wings and sills have all been tweaked too, improving engine cooling, air flow and stability.
Interior
The cabin is certainly not what you'd expect to find in a traditional Bentley. The comfortable, luxurious armchairs have been replaced by a single, torturous-looking carbon fibre race seat complete with racing harness. The steering wheel is adorned with racing switchgear, the dials have all been replaced, and the fascia looks as though someone has simply hit the delete button on all the toys. In removing all the heavy interior gubbins, Bentley has managed to shed a massive 1,000kg compared to the road going model, resulting in a car that weighs less than 1,300kg. Despite this, Bentley still insists on a high-quality interior, meaning that items such as the door pulls, steering wheel and seat are all hand-crafted and stitched by Bentley craftspeople in Crewe.
Mechanicals
While you may expect to find a new racing lump under the bonnet, Bentley has done the opposite and simply tuned the existing 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine found in the road car. A racing engine management system has been fitted, upping power to 600hp. This power is then sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed Xtrac sequential gearbox controlled by paddle shifters. Double wishbone suspension, racing dampers and powerful six- and four-piston brake callipers front and rear have been added too, making sure the GT3 handles as good as it looks.
Anything else?
With the unveiling over, Bentley can now begin to develop the model for use on the track. Its first racing series is destined to be the FIA Blancpain Series in 2014. Before that though, Goodwood saw the Continental GT3 take on the legendary hillclimb course twice a day this past weekend, piloted by Bentley Boy and 2003 Le Mans Champion, Guy Smith.
James Giddings - 16 Jul 2013