The Bentley Continental GT3 racing car was officially unveiled at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed this past weekend. The Continental GT3 concept was shown at the Paris Motor Show last September and since then thousands of hours of work have gone into getting the car race-ready.
Bentley engineers have had to focus on reducing the weight of the portly production car, which they’ve managed to do by almost 1 ton, for a total of 1 300 kg. The suspension has been thoroughly reworked too, with the addition of front/rear double wishbone suspension with four-way adjustable racing dampers and a new hydraulic steering system.
Braking is performed by ventilated cast-iron discs and six-piston calipers in front, with four-piston calipers at rear. These slow a set of 18-inch OZ Racing wheels and 310/710 R18 tyres, which are a medium compound designed for sprint racing.
The aerodynamics changes are extensive and include a carbon fibre front splitter, rear wing and body panels. Lightweight, aerodynamically-optimised bumpers, bonnet, sills and fenders are also part of the Continental GT3′s makeup.
Finally, the Bentley Continental GT3 is powered by a race-prepared and dry-sump version of Bentley’s already powerful 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. Many of the components have been carried over from the production engine, which develops up to 447 kW in race trim (up from 373 kW). Power is sent to the rear-wheels via a carbon fibre drive shaft, a six-speed sequential gearbox and limited-slip differential.
Months of developmental testing and racing lie ahead for the Continental GT3, which will start the FIA Blancpain Series in 2014.