Continental GT3-R

From the 1920s to the present day, Bentley has a proud motorsport heritage. Currently the motorsport baton has been taken up by the Continental GT3, which stormed to victory in the Silverstone round of the 2014 Blancpain Endurance Series.

Enter the Continental GT3-R – not exactly a road-legal racer, more a race-inspired road car that has agility, ballistic acceleration and eye-catching style to commend it. Just 300 will be made.

Like the racing GT3, the GT3-R is powered by a blueprinted version of the Bentley 4.0 V8. Unlike the racer, it’s all-wheel drive. Bentley maintains that this makes the GT3-R more usable, safer and more enjoyable year-round on the imperfect surfaces of road driving. But while it’s nowhere near the weight of the stripped-out, harsh M-Sport racing car, the GT3-R is still the lightest, most dynamic Continental yet. Weight is 100kg down from the Continental V8S.

Suspension, steering and damper rates are all carefully tuned for outright agility and grip (with the help of the M-Sport Bentley team drivers, according to Bentley’s director of motorsport Brian Gush). Turn-in is more eager, the downforce is greater and torque vectoring by braking ensures that this Bentley changes direction with startling ease.

Outside you’ll notice the larger front splitter and fixed carbon-fibre rear wing, while the two-seater cockpit is trimmed in Beluga black leather with diamond-quilted Alcantara™. The same material is used for gearshift and steering wheel, while the centre console, fascia and door panels are carbon-fibre. A vivid accent green used in the interior and GT3-R badging and embroidery remind the driver that this track-bred Continental is a close cousin to the GT3.

Bentley’s 4.0 V8 has a lot of admirers, giving the Continental GT V8 and GT V8S a distinct and enthralling sporting character. In the GT3-R, it’s blueprinted and fitted with high-boost zero-lag turbochargers to develop 580PS and 700Nm. Shortened gearing delivers thrilling full-throttle acceleration, with 0-60 taking just 3.6 seconds. Brakes are fade-resistant Carbon-Silicon-Carbide, 420mm at the front and 356mm at the rear, capable of absorbing 10 megajoules of energy in a single stop. And in a first for Bentley, the drivetrain has the ability to control the torque at each of the rear wheels through the use of torque vectoring. A lightweight titanium exhaust cuts a few extra kilos and liberates the full chorus of the V8 engine at high revs.

To accentuate the dual character of the Continental GT3-R, Bentley has further differentiated the Drive and Sport modes, giving the driver a distinct choice between refined grand tourer and sharp supercar. So it’s drive all the way along the autobahn to the Nürburgring – and Sport for when you get there.