Bentley Continental GT3 grows wings to conquer the Pikes Peak Hill Climb

Evidently, this is a Bentley. That may not be apparent at to start with glance on account of the … anything, but this winged beast does have a Bentley symbol on it. You see, Bentley is headed on back again to Pikes Peak for a third (and remaining) time. The company’s to start with two visits noticed the generation SUV report attained with the Bentayga W12 and the outright generation car report taken with the Continental GT. This time, Bentley is concentrating on the “Time Assault 1” report, and the Continental GT3 Pikes Peak is its steed of decision.

Main the car’s superlative options is what Bentley statements to be “the greatest rear wing at any time fitted to a Bentley.” We heartily approve. The aerodynamic package is absolutely in vogue with other cars and trucks developed precisely for Pikes Peak. Most downforce is produced with the substantial wing, a gigantic diffuser, two-aircraft splitter and intense dive planes. It’s much more observe rat than elegant race car with the numerous scoops and venting throughout. The exhaust cutouts just aft of the front wheels full the hooligan package. This Continental may have Bentley lights on it, but the similarities amongst it and the street car do not go substantially further more.

Specifics about the engine are constrained, but Bentley says it is a four.-liter turbocharged V8 racing engine, not a generation V8 or W12. Modifications ended up produced to make it much more highly effective for this Pikes Peak operate, but Bentley also produced changes for the gas it will be operating in the car.

In its place of operating this Continental on race gas, it is likely to be making use of biofuel-dependent gasoline. We have read Porsche make waves about the probable of greener biofuels assisting to significantly lessen emissions, and now Bentley is creating some noise about the tech, far too. In coordination with Porsche (all in the identical VW Team household), Bentley is researching how it could use biofuels and “e-fuels” to probably energy equally previous and foreseeable future Bentley cars and trucks. As of currently, Bentley is saying that making use of these fuels could final result in greenhouse gas emissions reductions of up to eighty five{ed0b873b90f1b87a4f3b347f1646a477c6eee9bccb9dcbe5ac9cb67a3d16495a}. Place just, which is substantial, if it can be produced to perform at a big scale.

Bentley expressly states that this investigate into biofuels does not affect its approach to develop into an electric powered-only automaker by 2030. In its place, Bentley sees it as a way to enable the brand’s previous and existing gasoline-run motor vehicles to be pushed significantly into the foreseeable future — just over eighty{ed0b873b90f1b87a4f3b347f1646a477c6eee9bccb9dcbe5ac9cb67a3d16495a} of all Bentleys at any time developed are however on the street, according to Bentley’s interior tracking.

“We are delighted to be returning to Pikes Peak for a third time – now run by renewable gas, as the start undertaking for yet another new aspect of our Beyond100 program,” says Dr Matthias Rabe, a member of Bentley’s board for engineering. “Our powertrain engineers are currently researching equally biofuels and e-fuels for use by our customers alongside our electrification program – with intermediate techniques of adopting renewable fuels at the factory in Crewe and for our company fleet. In the meantime, the Continental GT3 Pikes Peak will exhibit that renewable fuels can enable motorsport to proceed in a dependable way, and ideally it will seize the third and remaining report in our triple crown.”

Bentley is partnered up with a British Continental GT3 consumer crew for this endeavor: Fastr. Whilst Fastr and Bentley are spearheading this endeavor, professionals from M-Sport and K-PAX Racing are also assisting to extract just about every past tenth from this Continental Pikes Peak car. You may recognize M-Sport, which is the company that handles Ford’s WRC rally cars and trucks. Rhys Millen (who drove equally the Bentayga and Continental for Bentley) will be guiding the wheel all over again. Millen will need to cross the complete line beneath the 9:36 mark to break the report for this class. Bentley claims much more specialized details about the car closer to the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in June as it progresses with tests.

Related video: