From Professional Motorsport World;
“A Bentley Continental-based GT3 race car is currently being developed, ready to bring the former Le Mans winner back into the motorsport arena.
Heading the development of the Continental GT3 is Bentley’s director of chassis, powertrain and motorsport, Brian Gush. He explained, “We’re still in the layout phase and have shown the FIA what we plan to do. They’ve approved the concept so towards the end of 2013 we plan to do a test race.”
The new Bentley competitor is equipped for endurance as well as speed, and therefore will be eligible to race in a range of events including 24-hour marathons.
The GT3 concept capitalizes on the performance, high-speed stability and durability of Bentley’s iconic coupe, while tailoring its specification for the track with the adoption of a rear-wheel drive chassis in accordance with the regulations, state-of-the-art motorsport hardware and a comprehensive aerodynamic package.
Gush said, “We are using the production W12 engine, which is a great engine. We’ve got the possibility to use either that or the V8 but for the moment we’re using the W12. The engine will provide us with the power that we need to get us in the zone [for performance balancing].
“We’ve done everything in Crewe so far using our own technical specialists. We certainly have all the facilities there to put the body shell together. A lot of weight will be taken off the car by removing the luxuries and a lot of electronics, to ensure the car is within the weight target.”
Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, Bentley’s chairman and chief executive, said, “The Continental GT3 is the realization of a dream we’ve had ever since the launch of the Continental GT. The new GT Speed is the perfect car for us to develop into a racer, and our work so far has shown huge potential. The Continental GT3 is set to show the world what the Continental GT is capable of in its most extreme form, and establishes a solid foundation for Bentley’s long-term motorsport plans.”
The Continental will be the fourth GT3 car from the Volkswagen Group stable, following the Audi R8, Porsche’s 911 and the Reiter-developed Lamborghini Gallardo.”
More pics and video here; http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/26/bentley-unveils-continental-gt3-racer/
Awesome!!!!!!!!!
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