2011 Bentley Continental Gt Speed on 2040-cars

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Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak racer puts out 750 horsepower on biofuel

Bentley revealed its Continental GT3 Pikes Peak car to us earlier this year, but was short on engine details. That left us especially curious, as Bentley foreshadowed lots of modifications and a promise that it’d run on a renewable biofuel. Of course, more power than standard was expected. Today, all the details of this wild Bentley are available. Its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine will make “more than” 750 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. ThatÂ’s a 100 horsepower increase over the most potent street version of the Continental, the Continental GT Speed. HowÂ’d Bentley do it? For starters, Bentley began with the GT3 race version of its 4.0-liter V8, not the street version. But Bentley went to town on this race engine for Pikes Peak anyway. It has new pistons and connecting rods, plus the boost is turned up to 2.2 bar with larger turbos. The carbon fiber intake manifold is reinforced and made thicker than the standard one. Plus, one-off exhaust manifolds made from Inconel alloy by Akrapovic are fitted. The exhaust ultimately exits via very short pipes just behind the front wheels. Not very Bentley-like. Cooling is reinforced by a secondary cooling system positioned in the rear of the car. The rear windows are traded for air scoops that channel air through a second radiator, exhausting heat through ducts in the trunk lid. It all runs off a dedicated secondary water pump. Another change youÂ’ll find at the rear is a new driveshaft with a larger diameter for better durability. The biofuel Bentley uses is called 98RON Renewable Racing Fuel, and Bentley says it is "a dedicated blend of advanced biofuels specifically designed for motorsport, and is a technological stepping stone to sustainably-created eFuel with a greenhouse gas reduction of up to 85%." Bentley didn't say what the emissions reduction was for this specific biofuel in the Pikes Peak car. When it comes to handling, Bentley says it has significantly modified the GT3 setup. ItÂ’s running far more camber in front and rear. Softer springs and anti-roll bars were fitted to allow more body movement and maximize weight transfer for braking (keep in mind all your braking will be done while going straight uphill). Plus, the brakes themselves are newly water-cooled to handle the extreme loads that this hill climb will put on them. You can watch out for Bentley's attempt at a record on June 27, a day that will mark the 99th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

2024 Bentley Edition 8 models signal time's up for the gas-only V8

Bentley might still be bidding its W12 engine goodbye with various swansong vehicles, but now it’s the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8Â’s turn to say adieu. At least in the Continental and Flying Spur models – the Bentayga will continue on with this powertrain for an unspecified amount of time. We donÂ’t have a hard cutoff in North America for the V8, but Bentley says production of its final 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 cars in Europe, the UK and the Middle East is to be completed soon with final deliveries in June. North America “will follow later.” Before you hop straight to the comments, know this doesnÂ’t mean Bentley is abandoning the V8 entirely. It announced alongside this news that an “all-new” V8 plug-in hybrid powertrain is on the horizon and will serve as the companyÂ’s flagship offering, technically replacing the W12. Output is pegged at 740 horsepower with this model, and all-electric range from the battery pack is estimated at 50 miles on the WLTP drive cycle – expect notably fewer miles of range in EPA testing. ThatÂ’s all we know today, but Bentley says more will be revealed in time As for what will replace the soon-to-be-retired gas-only V8 option, Bentley suggests hybrid powertrains would be used and that all of its model lines would offer a hybrid variant by 2024. The only model without a hybrid available yet is the Continental, so expect an announcement concerning that car imminently.  To celebrate the end of the current V8Â’s era, Bentley put together “Edition 8” versions of its Flying Spur, Continental GT and Continental GTC. ItÂ’s a North America-special and comes with lots of Mulliner options as standard equipment. The Continental models feature Edition 8 badges on their fenders, while the Flying Spur wears it on its D pillar. An Edition 8 motif can be seen embroidered on the seat backs and engraved on the treadplates, too. One particularly notable luxury touch is the Palm Fluting pattern (seen in the photo above) on its sumptuous seats, which Bentley says it has never offered on any of its core/mainstream models before. Deliveries of the Edition 8 will begin “imminently,” so if youÂ’re a particularly big fan of BentleyÂ’s current V8 and have money to spend, now is the time. Related Video

Bentley GT3-R is the most hardcore road-going Continental yet

A factory-entered Bentley hadn't won a top tier race in the UK for 84 years when the Continental GT3 recently took victory in the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Silverstone. It was an early success for a racer that only hit the track competitively for the first time late last year at the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi. To capitalize on the potent platform, Bentley is bringing it to the street with the limited-edition Continental GT3-R.
Limited to just 300 units worldwide, this bruiser starts as any other Continental GT on the assembly line in Crewe, England, but then Bentley Motorsport get ahold of it to painstakingly improve its performance. Like the racer, GT3-R uses the 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8, and here, power is cranked up to 572 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, 51 hp and 14 lb-ft better than the GT V8 S. The muscle is routed through an eight-speed automatic gearbox from ZF with shortened gearing and a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system with torque vectoring for the rear wheels. The weight also comes down over 200 pounds from the V8 S to 4,839 pounds. Bentley claims all the tweaks are enough to hustle the GT3-R to 60 miles per hour in 3.6 seconds, on to an estimated top speed of 170 mph.
To handle all that power, an air suspension holds up all four corners, and the brakes use carbon silicon carbide discs for plentiful stopping power. A titanium exhaust saves an additional 15 pounds of weight, and Bentley promises that it gives the car a baritone growl.