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600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. Try to avoid any compromises when going shopping for your next car. I've heard people claiming they'd like a race car for street use, but I'm sure most of them will hate it right away. At the same time, pouring a lot of money into a streetcar for more power doesn't make much sense either.
600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next 16 photos
Photo: Hoonigan
600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next600-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next
Today we're looking at two cars that come from two different worlds. One of them is a pure-bred race machine, while the other is a road-going vehicle that happens to have a bit of extra power. You could call this Civic a sleeper, but I guess that term should be reserved for more extreme vehicles. A stock 2019 Type R is going to have an output of just over 300 horsepower.

But the car we're looking at today has almost double that power, all while working with a stock bottom end. This car also has a full interior and almost no modifications to the drivetrain. It weighs in at 3,300 lbs (1,496 kg), comes with a 5-speed manual gearbox, and will be struggling to get off the line with FWD. It seems like its driver has never done an actual launch in it so far.

While I've learned to be more protective of the cars I'm driving, I'll never refrain from doing a proper launch if the situation asks for it. But to each his own, I guess. We might as well call this car David from now on because its opponent for this drag race is, by all means, a Goliath. Not only are we talking about a fully-fledged race car, but someone with decades of racing experience also drives it.

600\-HP Civic Steps up to a GT3 Bentley, You Won't Believe What Happens Next
Photo: Hoonigan
You might know Rhys Millen from the movie "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," or you might know him from Formula Drift. But today, he's been entrusted with the mission of driving an insane 2019 Bentley Continental GT that's been prepared for Pikes Peak Hillclimb duty. This vehicle has twice as many cylinders, turbos, and liters of displacement when compared to the Honda. This is a 3,020 lbs (1,369 kg) vehicle that comes with 850 horsepower!

If you add the fact that it's running a 6-speed sequential gearbox, it seems like the Honda should've just stayed at home. Looking at the pre-race predictions, most of the people on site have their money on the Bentley. But math doesn't always add up on the racetrack. The cars line up for the first run, and we're about to see them racing down a 1,500 ft (457 meters) stretch of tarmac.

They're both off to a rather slow start, but as soon as the Bentley comes online, it obliterates its opponent. This couldn't have gone any other way. The Civic gets to start first for the second run, and the total length is brought down to 1,000 ft (304 meters). Unfortunately, the Bentley runs into some sort of mechanical issue as Rhys Millen struggles to fire it up. Something's wrong with it, and the Civic manages to be first across the finish line.

The problem seems to be an electrical one, and the Pikes Peak machine isn't running at its best. The two drivers still line up for the rolling start, but the Continental GT3 can only manage to slowly crawl to the end of the track. With this level of development, certain issues are bound to surface from time to time. But one thing is for sure, the Civic would have never stood a chance of winning otherwise.

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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
Dragos Chitulescu profile photo

The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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