Bentley unveils Continental GT Le Mans Collection

It appeared like we have been in for a golden period of endurance racing when Bentley beat Audi to victory on the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans. As we’d later discover out, the British marque didn’t fancy one other stab on the blue riband occasion and so we bought a decade (bar the 2009 race) of Audi dominance. But Bentley has been cashing in on its 2003 victory for years now, and its most up-to-date self-pat on the again comes within the type of the brand new Continental GT Le Mans Collection.

Coming proper on the 20^th anniversary of the Speed 8’s victory at Le Sarthe, the Le Mans Collection consists of 48 Continental GT and GTCs which might be packed filled with references to the 2003 winner. The most blatant ones are the Verdant inexperienced end with a silver stripe down the centre, matching that of the Speed 8 racer, and the white ‘7’ painted on the grille to mirror the race winner’s quantity.

That’s fairly customary fayre for Bentley’s LM fashions, as we’ve already seen with the Number 9 Edition. But issues begin to get actually fascinating once you step contained in the Le Mans Collection vehicles. For occasion, the rotating set of dials within the centre of the sprint comes adorned with an ‘artefact’ from the race-winning automotive. Specifically, one of many 32 valves (nicely a part of it) from the racer’s V8. Below that sits a brand new digital 24-hour click on, changing the analogue 12-hour clocks you’ll discover in customary Continentals.

To match the pragmatic look of the prototype’s cockpit, albeit with out the racer’s claustrophobia-inducing measurement, Mulliner has kitted-out the cabins of the Le Mans Collection with Beluga disguise and suede-like Dynamica. The solely sprint of color comes from the row of six wreathes on the sprint, marking the variety of victories Bentley has racked up at Le Sarthe, with the same motif on the treadplates. Topping all of it off is a gold silhouette of the Speed 8 prototype and a pair of 24 Hours of Le Mans badges on the entrance wings.

Of course, there are many alternatives so as to add your individual private contact for those who’ve bought the money, however there’s just one alternative of engine. Good factor it’s Bentley’s 659hp 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12, which is able to giving the Speed 8 a run for its cash (in a straight line, anyway) with a high velocity of 208mph. Three-chamber air suspension comes as customary, although you’ll must fork out additional if you’d like the corporate’s newly developed carbon ceramic brakes. Might be a field value ticking for those who plan on taking this 2.3-litre Speed 8 homage on monitor.

Bentley is maintaining a lid on pricing, so you’ll be able to anticipate it to price a piece greater than the £220,000 wanted for a Continental GT Speed. You can even anticipate all 48 examples to get snapped up immediately, so why not save a couple of quid by selecting up a traditional GT Speed and portray a stripe down the center with a silver rattle can?