After setting records for fastest SUV (Bentayga) in 2018 and fastest production car (Continental GT) in 2019, Bentley is back in the “race to the clouds” in Pikes Peak, Colorado, with a very modified Continental GT3 to conquer the record in the Time Attack 1 category.
The current record in the Time Attack 1 category (for vehicles based on production models) is at 9:36 min, which translates to an average speed of 125 km/h over the 19.99 km length of the course — with a difference in level of 1440 m.
To stay below that time, as you can see, the Bentley Continental GT3 has been extensively modified from the outside, highlighting the huge rear wing, the largest ever placed on any Bentley.
The extreme aerodynamic package is completed by a specific rear diffuser and, at the front, by a biplane splitter, flanked by two wings (canards) that also impress with their extension.
Bentley does not say, however, how this apparatus translates into downforce, nor does it say how powerful this Pikes Peak monster is.
V8 powered by biofuel
We may not know how many horsepower the Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak will have, but we do know that the well-known twin-turbo V8 will be powered by biofuels.
Despite the bet on electrification — from 2030 onwards, the plan is to only have 100% electric models —, Bentley also recently announced its bet on bio-fuels and synthetic fuels.
The Continental GT3 Pikes Peak will be the first visible step of this bet, using gasoline obtained through the use of bio-fuels. At the moment, the brand is testing and evaluating various blends, predicting that, in the end, the use of this gasoline will allow greenhouse gas reductions of up to 85% compared to gasoline of fossil origin.
Driving the Continental GT3 Pikes Peak will be “King of the Mountain” Rhys Millen, the same driver who set records for the production Bentayga and Continental GT. The development tests are continuing, at the moment, in the United Kingdom, but will soon be transferred to the USA, to carry out tests at altitude — because the race starts at 2865 m high and finishes only at 4302 m.
The 99th edition of Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will take place on the 27th of June.