Bentley is gearing up for the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb later this month with a specially modified version of its Continental GT3 Racer designed to run on synthetic fuel, and it has confirmed some of the specifications of its new contender.
The 2021 Continental GT3 Pikes Peak is powered by a specially tuned version of its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, featuring a higher compression ratio, a stronger carbon fiber intake manifold, unique titanium exhaust manifolds, and larger turbos to produce over 750 horsepower and a massive torque of 1,000 Nm. Bentley says it plans to further dial up the power for the event. The use of renewable synthetic fuel has the potential to reduce the car’s greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85%, according to the brand.
The Continental GT3 Pikes Peak is based on a modified version of the road car’s chassis. Apart from the new racing livery, the most obvious enhancement is the aerodynamic package, which has been overhauled to cope with the thinner air (and therefore less aerodynamic load) available near the top of the 14,000-foot Pikes Peak circuit.
The huge rear wing is complemented by a two-plane front splitter, a massive rear diffuser, and all sorts of vents and channels designed to suck turbulent air from the front underneath the car. The rear windows have also been ditched in favor of vents, which cool a secondary radiator mounted in the trunk.
In total, the aerodynamic tweaks have increased the car’s downforce by 30% at sea level, roughly correlating with the 33% aerodynamic loss the GT will suffer at the top of Pikes Peak due to the lower air density.
Due to the unique nature of the Pikes Peak course, Bentley has also revised the car’s chassis. Unlike the GT3 track racer, the car has significantly less front and rear camber, while the shocks and sway bars have been softened to allow the chassis to adapt to rougher asphalt. The brakes are now also water-cooled.
The Continental GT3 Pikes Peak will compete in the Time Attack 1 event on June 27, a class designed for production-based race machinery. Bentley aims to score a ‘hat-trick’ with its new racer, hoping to bring home another trophy to sit alongside its current records for the fastest production car and SUV to tackle the 12.42-mile course.
In 2018, the brand claimed an unofficial record for the fastest production SUV ascent with the Bentayga. Then, the following year, the Continental GT took the record in the Time Attack 2 class for production cars, a feat the brand marked with a special Pikes Peak edition of its grand tourer produced in only 15 units.
Bentley has committed to becoming a fully electric brand by 2030 as part of its Beyond100 strategy. However, the company will continue producing combustion engine cars for the next nine years.
The brand also states that over 80% of all Bentleys ever built are still on the road, and the use of biofuel by the racers indicates a broader desire by the company to ensure that its current and future combustion engine buyers can continue enjoying their vehicles long into the future.
Bentley’s Engineering Chief, Matthias Rabe, said, ‘We are thrilled to be returning to Pikes Peak for the third time, now powered by renewable fuel, as the launch project for another new element of our Beyond100 program.
‘Our powertrain engineers are already investigating both biofuels and e-fuels for use by our customers alongside our electrification program, with intermediate steps of adopting renewable fuels at our factory in Crewe and for our company fleet.’
