Bentley Continental GT3 Will Make Its Competition Debut in Dubai 12 Hours

BentleyBentleyUnited Kingdom, 1919 > present37 models
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announced that it would go racing with the Continental GT3Bentley Continental GT3United Kingdom, 2013 > present5 photos
a year ago, and it seemed like a total price. How would Bentley convert a big, heavy grand touring car into a racecar? But Bentley and the team at M-Sport have done it and shed 1,300kg (2866lb) from the Continental GT while doing it. The Continental GT3 will make its competition debut at the Gulf 12 Hours of Abu Dhabi at the Yas Marina circuit on December 13. The race will be the first time that the factory-backed Bentley has gone racing since the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2003.

The Continental GT3 made its public track debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this summer and has been testing at tracks around Europe for the last several months.

It is powered by a modified, dry-sump version of the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 found in the road-going Continental GTBentley Continental GT V8 SUnited Kingdom, 2014 > present but with 600hp in unrestricted form. The car has not been submitted for balance of performance testing yet for the race, which will likely decrease its power.

“The car has performed extremely well so far, and has matched or exceeded our simulations in every respect. With 3000 km of testing completed already, the team is very pleased with progress and we’re gaining confidence in our package. We’re all looking forward to the Gulf 12 Hours in December and can’t wait to run the car against the competition for the first time in its first test race,” said Brian Gush, Bentley Director of Motorsport.

Bentley refuses to give up its luxury roots on the GT3 and the stitching on the steering wheel, carbon fiber racing seat and leather door pulls are trimmed and stitched by hand at Bentley’s Crewe headquarters.

The car will run the full season in the 2014 Blancpain Series under the Team M-Sport Bentley team. Neither Bentley nor M-Sport have announced a driver lineup for the team.

Bentley says that the Continental GT3 will be available to customers to purchase beginning in the second quarter of 2014. It says that it is in negotiations with several teams currently but will not announce them until closer to launch.