Bentley Gt Striped Body Shell on 2040-cars

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2013 Bentley Continental GTC V8

Despite having a rich history of creating comfortable cars for the chauffeured elite, Bentley has also had an edge on performance that its former compadres at Rolls-Royce could not come close to. Because while the Rollers may have been the better cars to be driven in (and some would argue, they still are), the Bentleys were better to drive.
That's still true to this day, where the company, now situated under the umbrella of the Volkswagen Group, still offers all the same luxury and refinement as before, but it also includes even better drivability than before. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Continental range, where a full line of turbocharged 12-cylinder and Speed models are on offer, to say nothing of older Supersports models that were offered and the company's newest venture into the world of racing, the GT3.
But below the Speed cars and the other W12 cruisers, Bentley now offers eight-cylinder power in its Continental range. And despite this more focused approach to offering something a bit more frugal and efficient, it still has quite the focus on driver involvement. We recently spent a week under the summer sun in this droptop V8 GTC to experience just that.

Xcar calls Continental GT V8 S the best Bentley yet

It wouldn't be fair to describe the Bentley Continental GT V8 S as taking the standard version of the luxury coupe and turning the driving engagement up to 11. That accolade is reserved for the hardcore, stripped-out GT3-R version. Though, not everyone wants to go quite that far. As Xcar Films presents in a new video, being behind the wheel of the S compared to the standard GT is more like listening to music through a quality set of speakers where everything become a little more crisp and clear. Giving the S that extra little bit are a multitude of improvements like a stiffer suspension, tighter steering, a more aggressive body kit and an extra 21 horsepower from its twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8. However, the real magic is how Bentley mixes all of the tweaks together into a grand tourer that can work with drivers when they want to have a little fun. Plus, Xcar's fantastic cinematography over some rolling British hills on a wet day provides a great backdrop.

New Bentley Continental GT3 race car looks beautiful and brutal

Bentley has been building and racing GT3-class versions of the Continental GT since about 2013. As such, it's really no surprise that Bentley would create one based on the newest Continental GT, as seen above. Still, we're glad to see it, especially because it looks really mean, and better than the outgoing racer. Part of the design improvements are due simply to the new road car's looks. The lower, wider grille, and tidier, less bulbous tail do a lot to make the race car look much lower and more aggressive than the old car. But the racing-specific bodywork is cleaner and more aggressive, too. Large overfenders are fitted both front and rear, and they each have integrated intake vents at the leading and trailing edges. The openings at the front of the front fenders are curved such that they look a bit like angry eyebrows. The rear diffuser looks better integrated with the body now, rather than simply lurking behind a cut-down rear bumper. The big wing with outboard supports is also impressive. Performance-wise, there likely won't be a major difference between this and the outgoing car. It seems power is down a bit to over 550 horsepower rather than over 600 horsepower. Curb weight is estimated to be under 1,300 kg, which is about 2,866 pounds. That's also similar to the old car. Power also continues to come from a twin-turbocharged V8 sending power to the rear wheels. This is a sharp contrast to the road car's twin-turbocharged W12 sending power to all four wheels. For any enterprising racers looking to trade to a new car or get into a GT3, Bentley will begin selling the new Continental GT3 next June. Pricing has not been announced. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Bentley Continental GT3 race car Image Credit: Bentley Motorsports Bentley Coupe Racing Vehicles bentley continental gt3