Bentley Continental GT3-R unveiled
Race inspired - loosely - Continental gets official Goodwood debut, PH was there
Durheimer seems fired up to be back at Bentley
He cites the GT3 race programme as one example, describing the sight of the car overtaking the McLaren 12C GT3 in the closing stages of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Silverstone to take the win as an especially satisfying moment. Many of the Crewe workers had made the trip to cheer the car on and were justly chuffed to see a successful outcome to this battle between two very different British players. Will we see the Bentley Boys back at Le Mans and racing against Aston, Porsche and the other GTE competitors one day? He'd love it, if agreement can be reached that aligns GT3 and GTE regulations. He says agreement was tantalisingly close earlier this year; maybe some time in the future.
Carbon engine dressing one of few options
Back to the GT3-R though. You'll have got the main messages - 100kg weight saving over the regular GT V8 S, lower gearing for faster acceleration, 580hp and retuned suspension - but at Goodwood we actually got to hear it, board member for engineering Rolf Frech all too happy to fire it up on the stand and give it some hearty blips. The titanium exhaust system has a properly savage note too, closer to that of the GT3 race car than the GT V8 S road car. They'll hear you coming, that's for sure.
Can you really have a track focused car that weighs more than two tonnes though? Sales and marketing boss Kevin Rose seems to think so, around 50 of the production run of 300 likely to go to UK buyers, the response from customers enthusiastic in the extreme and over half the allocation already accounted for before even this official unveiling. Rose says customer track events with driver training and the rest will feature; as unlikely as it sounds -R owners will be encouraged to get out there and live the GT3 dream.
Just in case a regular Conti isn't imposing enough
For sure, seeing a Bentley Continental triumph over a field of McLarens, Audi R8s, Nissan GT-Rs, Astons, Ferraris and more has obviously been a huge morale boost for the team behind the -R and gives the product the credibility it badly needed. A properly stripped back evocation of the race car this is not. As an amusing celebration of a somewhat incongruous but proven race winner it does, at least in the context of the Festival of Speed, make some sort of sense.
People harping on about the weight don't get it. Bentley have always made massive, imposing, relentlessly fast heavyweights. They dominated LeMans doing just this.
Well done with the new GT3. Bravo I say.
People harping on about the weight don't get it. Bentley have always made massive, imposing, relentlessly fast heavyweights. They dominated LeMans doing just this.
Well done with the new GT3. Bravo I say.
Everyone talking carp about fast lorries isn't wrong but that's exactly what Bentley's are
You have to hand it to VAG. Bugatti, Lambo, Porsche, Audi, SEAT, VW and Bentley. Whatever segment and marque they're addressing, they focus on the core brand personality and likely buyers, and bugger the rest. Not sure there is another volume multi brand producer that pulls off the same level of focus and success. Nearest is BMW perhaps with Mini and RR.
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