Bentley Continental GT3-R Crewe’s Missile

BENTLEY IS CELEBRATING its recent motorsport triumphs with the announcement of a new model, the Continental GT3-R, which the company calls the ‘fastest-ever accelerating’ and ‘most dynamic’ road car it has ever produced. The inspiration behind it is Bentley’s successful GT3 racer, which has just gone on to win yet Another round of the Blancpain endurance Series at Paul Ricard. This follows the car’s first win at Silverstone.

Underneath the GT3-R’s new vented aluminium bonnet remains the 4-litre twin-turbo engine from the V8 Continental. However, thanks to increased boost pressure, new turbochargers and a more aggressive engine map, it now produces 572bhp and 700Nm of torque up 51bhp and 19Nm respectively from the V8 S. The eight-speed ZF automatic transmission has been given a shorter final drive ratio to further aid acceleration, while the gearbox parameters have been recalibrated to deliver more aggressive shifts to match.

Although a rear-wheel-drive option was considered early on, Bentley has stuck with the hugely capable and grippy rear-biased (40:60) four-wheel-drive set-up. For the first time the company has also included torque vectoring. As with most other manufacturers’ equivalent systems, this works on the rear wheels by applying braking force to the inside wheel during hard cornering to direct torque to where it’s needed the most. Bentley seems particularly keen to emphasise the system’s understeer-killing ability.

The GT3-R sticks with air suspension, Bentley saying the new car’s set-up is a development of the more performance oriented configuration on the V8 S.

A set of 21-inch forged alloy wheels and 275/35 Pirelli P Zero tyres contain mammoth silicon-carbide brake discs, which get eight-piston calipers up front. The front discs measure 420mm, while the rears are 356mm.

Bentley claims a 0-96kmph time of 3.6sec that’s 0.7sec quicker than the V8 S although top speed is somewhat dulled at 272kmph (down from 307) due to the shorter gearing and the increased aerodynamic drag from the new carbonfibre splitter and rear spoiler.

Weighing in at 2195kg exactly 100kg less than the V8 S it’s clear Bentley hasn’t gone too extreme with the new model’s weight reduction.

The rear seats have been stripped out and there’s a lightweight titanium exhaust, but the GT3-R is not quite as extreme as we first thought it might be, shedding considerably less than the 500kg figure that was touted back in 2011 when we first reported on a possible GT3 road car. To get to a figure this low, however, would require a switch to rear-wheel drive and a significant number of carbonfibre components.

Production of the GT3-R will be limited to just 300 units, all finished in the same Glacier White paint as the GT3 racer. Two-tone green decals down the sides, and gloss black for the headlamp bezels and grille, also pay tribute to the race-winning car.

Inside, there’s a pair of new sports seats, which have a different internal structure and offer much more side bolster support. The chairs’ central panels are diamond-stitched Alcantara, while the sides are leather with a little flourish of green to match the exterior. Look where the rear seats normally are and you’ll find a luggage platform trimmed in matching Alcantara and leather, with a carbonfibre surround.

The idea for a more extreme, ‘lightweight’ Continental has been on the table since the GT3 race car was in its earliest stages of development. Wolfgang dürheimer was making the big decisions at Bentley at the time and championed the move to create more sporty road-going models. dürheimer has since spent a couple of years heading up product development at Audi, but has now returned to the helm at Bentley just in time to see the completed GT3-R make its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. If his previous plans for the direction of the company are anything to go by then we might see more performance-biased road cars in the future.

Bentley hasn’t yet released a price for the GT3-R (we’re expecting it to be over `2 crore, duties/taxes extra) but nevertheless it says that only a handful of the UK’s allocation remains unsold.