Bentley unleashes hardcore Conti GT3-R

Still think of Bentley as a tweed-jacket-and-pipe sort of brand? Well, here’s the car to dispel that image for ever.

Introducing the Continental GT3-R, of which the Brit luxo brand will build and sell just 300 examples with deliveries starting later this year (2014).

Inspired by the Continental GT3 racer that competes in the Blancpain Endurance Series, each car will be hand-built in Crewe and finished in Bentley’s Motorsport division. The purchase of the car also gets you free standard servicing for four years.

The upgrades to the car are comprehensive, encompassing powertrain, suspension, aero and cosmetics, and the result is a musclebound coupe that wouldn’t look out of place at track days.

For starters, the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 has been uprated to kick out 426kW and 700Nm (on tap from just 1700rpm), resulting in a claimed 0-100km/h split of 3.8sec and top whack of 273km/h (less than the 309km/h Conti V8 S, owing to shorter gearing).

Drive is sent to all four wheels by an upgraded ZF eight-speed auto and 4x4 system that splits torque in a 40:60 ratio to front and rear wheels. The GT3-R also debuts a torque-vectoring system.

The stability control system has also been recalibrated, and the air springs and dampers are an evolution of the sports-tuned setup from the Continental V8 S, undoubtedly the nimblest road-going Bentley to date.

The whole lot rides on forged gloss-black 21-inch wheels and sticky Pirelli rubber, while stopping power comes from Bentley’s Carbon Silicon Carbide (CSiC) braking system – comprising 420mm discs with eight-piston calipers at the front and  356mm discs at the rear.

External tweaks include a new front splitter and fixed rear wing (both carbon-fibre), while the bonnet incorporates two vents to improve the cooling and also create a visual link to the Continental GT3 racer

The gloss carbon-fibre body addenda contrasts with the Glacier White paint that all 300 cars will be finished in, and the inspiration of the Continental GT3 race car is highlighted by the use of two-tone green graphics that trace the two ‘power lines’ on the flanks

Other cosmetic fiddles include gloss-black finish on the headlamp bezels, matrix grille, window surrounds and bumper strips.

Where the GT3-R differs markedly from its racer inspiration is its not inconsiderable mass. With all the mod-cons retained, power everything, lashings of Beluga black leather and diamond-quilted Alcantara, a centre console and fascia panels handcrafted in feather-weight carbon-fibre barely make a dent in the big coupe's SUV-like 2195kg dry weight.