Bentley Continental GT3-R: A Bentley for the Track

Recently at Silverstone, Bentley’s latest racecar won the Blancpain Endurance Series race, beating Porsche 911s, Audi R8s and McLaren MP4-12Cs. This was a huge achievement for the manufacturer, since it was their first race on British soil in 84 years. Very few thought that such a huge car could be so competitive, since it weighs in at about 200 kg heavier than the competition. We all expected the big coupe to just fall behind and stay there.

To celebrate its victory, Bentley has created a 300-unit limited special edition of the Continental. It’s called the GT3-R, and it is the fastest Bentley yet.

• Also: A Fast one and a Cheap(er) one for Bentley
• Also: Bentley Continental GT3 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

The big coupe is powered by a 4 liter twin-turbo V8 pumping out a pretty respectable 572 HP and 516 lb-ft of torque. With a ZF 8 speed gearbox tailored for acceleration and a 100 kg diet (for a total weight of 2750 kg), the GT3-R gets from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, faster than a Porsche 911 Carrera 4!

Bentley’s AWD system is used in the car, with a unique torque vectoring function on the rear axle. The traction control suite has been tailored for track fanatics. The car still rides on an air suspension, albeit modified for track duty. 21 inch wheels complete the look, and a titanium exhaust gives the burly V8 a deep baritone soundtrack.

Prices are not often mentioned at Bentley. However, with a starting price of over $200,000 for the base model, the GT3-R will certainly get a price tag as big as the car itself!