Hard to believe that the shape of the Continental has been with us for nearly 12 years now and with the odd cosmetic tweak and engine upgrade it has managed to establish itself as the best selling Bentley by far. In fact, it is the main reason the company is now considered to be an instantly recognisable global brand which is no mean feat for a single model. Who knows, the Conti might do for Bentley what the 911 has done for Porsche over the decades.
In these times, it is the marketing man who sits at the top table with the company bosses and they look to him to mix his magic potions to eke out every drop of dream-inspiring imagery to help maintain market share of their brand and individual models. The Continental is a good example.
Think of a jolly jaunt down to Monaco in the blink of an eye, wafting along in a near-silent W12 to arrive refreshed at the Casino in time for a game or two of Black Jack.
How about a raucous blast in the Scottish Glens with a glorious V8 under the bonnet while the sports suspension lets you attack corners like Lewis Hamilton?
Fancy a cruise along the Pacific Highway from LA to San Diego? You can just picture yourself in a GT Speed Convertible with the roof down soaking up the sun and the miles listening to Pink Floyd on the Naim audio system.
Get the point? Along with breaking ice speed records it seems there is a Continental for every occasion. However until recently one part of Bentley’s history had been relatively unexploited – the legendary Bentley Blowers that won at Le Mans in 1930. Enter the GT3 and GT3-R.
The GT3 was developed to establish Bentley as a properly competitive racing team again and to bring the marque firmly back on to the stage of worldwide motorsport – the marketing men were at it again.
Such was the positive reception to the arrival of Bentley to compete with the likes of McLaren, Ferrari and Porsche that it was not long before the company wheeled out a ‘normal’ road-going version for those petrol-heads with deep pockets. Hence we have the GT3-R.
Limited to a production run of only 300 the low-down is as follows:-
Engine power 580 PS 6000rpm and 700 N·m 1700rpm, torque vectoring for each of the rear wheels, shorter gearing, recalibrated control software, all-new titanium exhaust with 7 kg weight saving and retuned acoustics, forged 21-inch alloy wheels in gloss black, Pirelli tyres, sport-focused Electronic Stability Control programme, Carbon Silicon Carbide (CSiC) braking system (420 mm front and 356 mm rear brake discs, 8-piston front calipers in green), two-seat cabin with carbon fibre, Alcantara and leather interior upholstery; bespoke sporting seats with additional side support through deeper bolsters upholstered in Beluga black leather and diamond-quilted Alcantara, upholstered steering wheel and gear shifter, centre console and fascia panels in carbon fibre, carbon fibre door casings with diamond-quilted Alcantara inner panels, rear cabin with a carbon fibre surround and upholstered in leather and Alcantara, green hide colour on the seats, instrument panel, door panels, contrast stitching throughout the seats and diamond-quilted areas; GT3-R badging at centre console, passenger-side fascia panel, sill tread-plates; GT3-R stitching at seat headrests in with contrast-green stitching, carbon fibre fixed rear wing and boot lid, bonnet with two vents, Glacier White body colour with gloss carbon fibre contrasts, two-tone green graphics tracing two power lines to the side profile of the car (one leading backwards from the front wheel, the other tracing the shape of the Continental GT’s rear haunch), headlamp bezels, matrix grille, window surrounds and bumper strips in gloss black. Phew!
Want to buy one? Well, too late because they are all sold out. Top marks for the marketing bods again!
However, we know of a cancelled order GT3-R that is physical and can be purchased today so to find out more give The Car Spy a call on 01892 506970 or email sales@thecarspy.net
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