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Full Details of the Savage Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak Weapon

For this year’s renowned hill climb event, the British automaker’s main goal is to break the Time Attack 1 record held by Porsche. To achieve this, it has developed a monstrous version of its Continental GT3 and recruited a three-time Pikes Peak champion for the job.
Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak 12 photos
Photo: Bentley Motors Limited
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In recent weeks, the Continental GT3 Pikes Peak has received a new livery and was put through a series of tests before the record-breaking attempt. The car was taken to Willow Springs for chassis fine-tuning, and high-altitude runs were then performed in Aspen, Colorado.

Meanwhile, a development engine has been thoroughly tested to analyze the performance of the renewable fuel that will be used in next month’s hill climb. Co-developed by ExxonMobil and Porsche, this innovative fuel will be available in the near future to conservative owners who don’t want to part ways with their luxurious gas-guzzling Bentleys in favor of soon-to-be fully electrified models.

Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak
Photo: Bentley Motors Limited
The 98RON e-fuel will feed a race-proven version of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 road car engine that has been comprehensively modified to spit out more than 760 hp and 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque.

To achieve these massive figures, the powerplant was fitted with a secondary cooling system that includes an additional water pump and radiator. Moreover, engineers replaced the standard pistons and conrods with reinforced versions that have the task of converting over 32 psi (2.2 bar) of boost pressure into raw power. For the same reason, the intake manifold was replaced by a bolstered carbon fiber alternative.

Akrapovic designed the exhaust system, which features bespoke 3D-printed Inconel manifolds that lead to larger turbos with external wastegates that vent out of screamer pipes poking out of the sides of the car, behind the front wheels.

Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak
Photo: Bentley Motors Limited
The Race to the Clouds starts at 9,300 ft (2,834 m), and finishes near the summit, at 14,100 ft (4,297) where the air is less dense than at sea level. This means that apart from the engine, a lot of work was put into the car's aerodynamics.

The Continental GT3 Pikes Peak uses a huge rear wing, which the company states is the biggest ever fitted to a Bentley, and a custom rear diffuser that surrounds the transaxle gearbox. To preserve the front-to-rear balance, these components are combined with a broad front-end package that includes a huge two-piece front splitter. It may look like the Bentley swallowed another car’s rear wing, but it would take flight and flip over without this arguably unaesthetic upgrade.

Chassis adjustments include extra-soft springs and anti-roll bars to enable more body movement and maximize weight transfer under heavy braking. The brakes themselves are water-cooled, to handle the huge loads that such a demanding course will bring.

Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak
Photo: Bentley Motors Limited
Together with British customer team Fastr, Bentley’s main objective is a new record for the Time Attack 1 division after it broke the ones for Production SUV with a Bentayga W12 in 2018, and Production Car a year later with a Continental GT.

To dethrone Porsche and better its 9:36.559 time, the car will have to complete the nearly 5,000 ft (1,524 m) run at an average speed of more than 78 mph (125.5 kph), but keep in mind that this includes 156 difficult corners. Lucky, it will be driven by three-time Pikes Peak champion and former “King of the Mountain’ Rhys Millen, the man who’s also responsible for Bentley’s two aforementioned records.

The 99th running of the legendary hill climb is scheduled for 27 June, so make sure to mark this day down on your calendar so if you want to see the Continental GT3 Pikes Peak in action.
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About the author: Vlad Radu
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Vlad's first car was custom coach built: an exotic he made out of wood, cardboard and a borrowed steering wheel at the age of five. Combining his previous experience in writing and car dealership years, his articles focus in depth on special cars of past and present times.
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