Bentley showed up and showed out with the Continental GT3 racer at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed today. This GT3 is the sportier cousin of Bentley’s iconic luxury car and is leaner – over 1,000 kilograms of weight were shed – and more powerful, packing a 4.0-liter V-8 that produces a blistering 600 bhp.
At Goodwood, the Continental GT3 will take part in the hill climb from Friday to Sunday with 2003 Le Mans champion driver Guy Smith behind the wheel. The car will also be on display along with the original Continental GT3 Concept Racer, unveiled at the Paris Motor Show last year.
“The Continental GT3 exploits the incredible performance beneath the skin of every Continental GT,” said Rolf Frech, a member of Bentley’s board for engineering. “We are now looking forward to getting the car on the track and proving its potential.”
The GT3 is outfitted with a double wishbone suspension configuration front and rear and has four-way adjustable racing dampers which replace the standard road-car air springs. The steering system features hydraulic power-assistance while braking comes via ventilated iron discs combined with six-piston calipers on the front and four-piston calipers on the rear.
The exterior features a top-mounted carbon fiber rear wing and splitter while modifications were also made to the bonnet, bumpers, fenders and sills. Weight was shed through removal of leather and wood interior trim. The Continental GT3 weighs under 1300 kilograms but retains the hand-crafted Bentley qualities, with the steering wheel, door pulls and seat all hand-trimmed and stitched.
The design is a collaboration between Bentley Motors engineers and Continental GT3 technical partner, M-Sport Ltd. The car will go through extensive track run and enter its first development races before entering competition officially at the FIA Blancpain Series in 2014.
Photo Credit: Newspress
