At the 2002 Paris Motor Show, the unveiling of the Continental GT concept took the world by storm and opened an exciting new chapter in Bentley’s history. Now, ten years on, Bentley is repeating the same feat with a Continental-based GT3 race car currently being developed by a dedicated motorsport team at the company’s factory in Crewe.

Signalling Bentley’s return to the racetrack for the first time since its historic sixth Le Mans victory in 2003, Continental GT3 remains faithful to the company’s founding motorsport philosophy of developing racing cars from their road-going counterparts.

Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, Bentley’s Chairman and Chief Executive, comments: “The clear message from our customers is that Bentley belongs on the racetrack, and the Continental GT3 is the realisation of a dream we’ve had ever since the launch of the Continental GT. The new GT Speed is the perfect car for us to develop into a racer, and our work so far has shown huge potential. The Continental GT3 is set to show the world what the Continental GT is capable of in its most extreme form, and establishes a solid foundation for Bentley’s long-term motorsport plans.”

The new Continental GT Speed is a refined, luxury grand tourer but which, if the driver demands, has a distinctly hard-edged sporting character. With exceptional levels of instantly accessible performance, the GT Speed, the fastest road-going Bentley ever, is a supercar that can be used every day, whatever the weather and road conditions. The Continental GT3 concept capitalises on the prodigious performance, outstanding high-speed stability and renowned durability of Bentley’s iconic coupe, while tailoring its specification for the track with the adoption of a rear-wheel drive chassis in accordance with the regulations, state-of-the-art motorsport hardware and a comprehensive aerodynamic package. The dramatic livery of the car enhances the muscular, sculpted form of the Continental GT Speed while remaining proudly patriotic with the inclusion of Union flags.

With the Continental GT3 concept receiving the full support of the FIA, Bentley is returning to the motorsport arena towards the end of 2013 with a GT race car capable of competing with the very best, in the true Bentley tradition.

Equipped for endurance as well as outright speed, the new Bentley competitor will be eligible to race in a range of race series and events, up to and including 24-hour marathons.

Heading the development of the Continental GT3 is Bentley’s Director of Chassis, Powertrain and Motorsport, Brian Gush. Having led the programme that famously saw a brace of Bentley Speed 8 prototype racers take a dominant and dramatic one/two at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2003, Brian is well placed to lead Bentley’s return to competitive racing.

Development of the Continental GT3 will continue over the coming months in the build-up to the start of a test programme in 2013. More information and details about Bentley’s return to motorsport will be released in the near future.

(Crewe / Abu Dhabi, 11th December 2013) The new Bentley Continental GT3 racecar makes its eagerly-anticipated competition debut this Friday1 in its first test race at the Gulf 12 Hours, held at the famous Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. Racing as part of a comprehensive development programme ahead of the 2014 Blancpain Endurance Series, the Continental GT3 is nearing readiness for Bentley’s return to mainstream racing for the first time since the celebrated Speed 8 won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2003.

Leading the team of new Bentley Boys is the same renowned sports car driver that won Le Mans for Bentley – British racer Guy Smith. Guy comments: “After four months of hard work and development testing, we definitely feel ready to start focusing on our race performance. Running the car against the competition for the first time is really exciting, and I’m thrilled to be back behind the wheel of a Bentley race car.”
Joining Guy is Northern Irishman Steven Kane, who brings a wealth of recent GT3 experience. Steven has also been involved in the car’s development since its unveil at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July and says “I’ve driven hundreds of laps in the Continental GT3 already and it’s got massive potential. The two most important things in racing are reliability and speed, and our work so far has shown that our Continental has both in abundance.”
Completing the trio of all-British Bentley driving talent is Andy Meyrick. After a successful season competing in the Blancpain Endurance Series and racing the revolutionary DeltaWing in the USA, Andy joins Team M-Sport Bentley for the Gulf 12 Hours. Commenting on the opportunity, Andy says: “I grew up near the Bentley factory in Crewe and still live locally and so I’m extremely passionate about the brand and proud to be one of the newest Bentley Boys. Joining Guy and Steven for the first race is an honour, and as a team I know we can deliver a great result.”
The Continental GT3 programme is being led by Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush. With the 2003 Le Mans win to his credit, Brian knows exactly what is required to deliver a world-beating Bentley endurance racer. In the build-up to the race, Brian comments: “It’s been a very busy year for the team but we’re on schedule and exactly where we wanted to be – at our first test race with a car that has serious pace and strong reliability, as should be the case for any Bentley. Racing with the Continental GT is a dream I’ve had ever since we launched the first generation in 2003 and while our focus in Abu Dhabi is on gaining more data during our testing phase, it feels great to be back in a competitive race environment.”
Bentley’s new racer has been developed in conjunction with motorsport technical partner M-Sport Ltd. M-Sport have used decades of motorsport experience to help turn the road-going Continental GT into a thoroughbred race car. Commenting on their involvement, M-Sport Team Manager, Matthew Wilson says: “Our work with Bentley on the Continental GT3 programme is our first venture in to track-based racing and our partnership has meant we’ve learnt a great deal from each other to design and develop this new competitor. Our technical team has worked closely with Bentley engineers to create the GT3, and I’m confident that we’ve engineered a car that can take on the competition and ultimately win races.”

Bentley is the latest automaker to announce its intentions to compete in the North American racing series that is the Pirelli World Challenge. Other recent entrants include Acura, which will start racing later this year, and McLaren, which entered the fray at the start of the 2014 season.

Bentley, which has only just made a return to the motorsport scene, competing with its Continental GT3 race car in the European Blancpain Endurance Series, hopes to eventually offer race cars to private teams all over the world, and what better way to promote its capabilities than beating some of the best in the business. Well, that's the plan.

But the British automaker isn’t rushing in. It will partner with successful team Dyson Racing and race a pair of Continental GT3s in the second half of the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge in preparation for a full season of competition in 2015. It will compete in the premier GT class and make its debut at the Road America round taking place from June 19-21. For local Bentley fans, this will be the first North American race for a factory-backed Bentley since 2003.

Development work and assignments for the single-driver sprint races will be shared among Chris Dyson and long-time Dyson Racing team members Guy Smith and Butch Leitzinger. The latter are also veteran Bentley drivers, with Leitzinger among the drivers of the class-winning Bentley EXP-8 at Le Mans in 2001 and 2002, and Smith one of the drivers of the Bentley Speed 8 when it won overall at Le Mans in 2003.

“Now that our European motorsport program is up and running, securing a return to racing in our biggest market is the natural next step,” Bentley motorsport boss Brian Gush said in a statement. “It’s extremely exciting to be back here with a race car, and I’m delighted to be working with the Dyson team.

ollowing a successful 2017 season, Bentley has revealed its new Continental GT3 race car based on the all-new 2018 Continental GT road car. With the all-new racer, Bentley specifically eyes the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup titles.

The second-generation Continental GT3 follows the first-generation car's banner run with 120 podiums and 45 victories to date. Bentley Motorsport’s in-house team based in Crewe, England, and its motorsport technical partner, M-Sport, worked to enhance the new race car with many of the improvements found in the road-going Continental GT. These include the mostly aluminum structure to keep the race car's weight well below 2,800 pounds and new development for the brand's 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine. It also means the new race car looks really, really good because the 2018 Continental GT is rather stunning. We used the phrase "agonizingly gorgeous" at the road car's debut.

Bentley Motorsport's new engine benefits from a totally redesigned dry-sump oil system, Cosworth engine management, and all-new intake and exhaust systems to deliver over 550 unrestricted horsepower. A 6-speed sequential gearbox routes power through a carbon-fiber driveshaft and to a limited-slip differential. On the suspension side of things, Bentley employs a new double-wishbone setup at the front and rear complimented by four-way adjustable racing dampers. A carbon-fiber front splitter, rear wing and body panels aid in keeping weight down while increasing the race car's aerodynamics. Finally, the Alcon braking system is all new and exclusive to the Continental GT3.

Inside, FIA-spec 6-point harnesses, a pneumatic jack system, fire extinguisher, and a steel roll cage keep racers geared for safety.

As mentioned, Bentley is looking to repeat its successes in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, where it won this year. It will also run the new Continental GT3 at in the four-round Intercontinental GT Challenge. Look for the car's race debut at Monza next year during the opening Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup round. Oh, and private customers can buy one, too; Bentley will begin customer deliveries next year.

Bentley has launched a major new sustainability initiative, with the announcement of a renewable fuels research and development programme spearheaded by the most extreme road-car-based Bentley in its 101 year history. The Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak, designed and built to compete for the Time Attack 1 record at the 2021 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, will be the first competition Bentley to run on renewable fuel, ahead of a goal to offer sustainable fuels to Bentley's customers around the world.

The modified Continental GT3 racer, based on Bentley's race- and championship-winning car, will power its way through the 12.42-mile course running on a biofuel-based gasoline. Various blends of fuels are currently being tested and evaluated, with possible Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reductions of up to 85% over standard fossil fuel. This first step marks the start of a longer programme that will investigate both biofuels and e-fuels for their potential to power the Bentleys of past and present in a sustainable way.

Bentley's ambitious and transformational Beyond100 programme will see the brand become the world's leading sustainable luxury mobility company, with the entire Bentley model range offered with Hybrid variants by 2023 ahead of Bentley being BEV-only by 2030. The adoption of renewable fuel for this project signals the start of a long-term ambition for Bentley, initiating a research and development programme that aims to offer renewable fuels to Bentley customers in parallel to Bentley's electrification programme. This two-strand strategy is set to maximise the pace of Bentley's progress towards outright carbon neutrality, as part of its Beyond100 journey.

Combustion-engine Bentleys will still be produced for the next nine years - and Bentley's new project aims to make those cars as sustainable as possible through the use of innovative fuel technologies. With more than 80% of all Bentleys ever built still on the road, a genuinely sustainable and customer-facing renewable fuel offering will also allow customers to enjoy their current and classic Bentleys responsibly for years to come.

Bentley's Member of the Board for Engineering, Dr Matthias Rabe, comments: "We are delighted to be returning to Pikes Peak for a third time - now powered by renewable fuel, as the launch project for another new element of our Beyond100 programme. Our powertrain engineers are already researching both biofuels and e-fuels for use by our customers alongside our electrification programme - with intermediate steps of adopting renewable fuels at the factory in Crewe and for our company fleet. In the meantime, the Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak will show that renewable fuels can allow motorsport to continue in a responsible way, and hopefully it will capture the third and final record in our triple crown."

Bentley's pinnacle Pikes Peak project is being run in conjunction with British Continental GT3 customer team Fastr, who have successfully campaigned their Bentley race car in time attack competitions across the country. Technical teams from Bentley and Fastr are working together with specialists from M-Sport in Cumbria to extract the maximum possible performance from the Continental GT3 package, which will be run in Colorado by the same team and with assistance from K-PAX Racing.

To break the record, the car will have to complete the nearly 5,000 ft climb, which includes 156 corners, at an average speed of more than 78 mph to cross the finish line in less than nine minutes and 36 seconds. To help achieve this ambitious target, Bentley has once again turned to three-time Pikes Peak champion and former "King of the Mountain' Rhys Millen (NZ) - who holds individual class records. It was with Millen that Bentley captured its two existing Pikes Peak records - the Production SUV record attained in 2018 with a Bentayga W12, and the outright Production Car record scored in 2019 with a Continental GT.

The Most Extreme Road-Car-Based Bentley in History

With the start line at 9,300 ft, the course climbs to 14,100 ft - where the air is 1/3 less dense than at sea level. This environment means that the Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak features modifications both to its aerodynamics package and its engine, turning it into the most extreme iteration of a Continental GT - or indeed any Bentley road car - ever.

The biggest rear wing ever fitted to a Bentley dominates the rear of the car, sitting above a highly efficient rear diffuser that surrounds the transaxle gearbox. This rear aerodynamic package is balanced by a two-plane splitter at the front, flanked by separate dive planes.

The engine is Bentley's proven racing power unit, developed from the 4.0-litre turbo V8 fitted to the Continental GT V8. For the Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak, engine modifications together with the use of carefully selected biofuel will ensure the engine develops significant horsepower despite the rarefied conditions it will operate in. Short side-exit exhausts will ensure the car sounds as dramatic as it looks.

Further modifications include cooling air scoops in place of the rear windows, and the obligatory stopwatch mounted to the roll cage next to the steering wheel, to allow Rhys Millen to keep track of his sector times up the mountain.

The Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak now enters a major test and development phase, based initially in the UK before being shipped to the USA for altitude testing.