Bentley GT3 Race Car New Details Revealed
Bentley revealed new details about the real-world version of its Continental GT3 race car first shown as a concept during the 2012 Paris Motor Show last September.
Of course, the car has little in common with its Continental road car cousin.
Parts are replaced at a startling place including over 2,200 lbs dropped from the curb weight. The doors only weigh 12 percent what the stock versions do. The company says it also canned over 50 ECU and electrical systems in the name of weight loss.
SEE ALSO: Bentley Motorsports Plans Include Spec Series for Gentlemen Drivers
Under the hood, which is made of carbon fiber, there’ s a 4.0-liter twin turbo V8 pushing power through a six-speed sequential gearbox. The suspension and brakes are extensively modified with four-way adjustable dampers, a double wishbone suspension and improved brakes carrying the chassis. The car is also twice as stiff thanks to its roll cage.
Bentley will start running the car through its test program soon when more information will be available.
Future plans riding on the car include launching a racing series similar to Ferrari’s Challenge series or Lamborghini’s Super Trofeo events. The series is planned to run in Europe, North America and Asia.
But letting owners and dealers into race cars isn’t the whole plan. A street car is likely to be built as well, as Bentley marketing boss Kevin Rose said on the sidelines of the L.A. Auto Show late last year.
SEE ALSO: Bentley Continental GT3 Road Car Likely Says Exec
It still isn’t clear if the company will choose to use its 6.0-liter W12 engine or the new 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 found in the GT3 car described above.
GALLERY: Bentley Continental GT3 Race Car
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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