2015 Continental GT3
In 2013 – a decade after the Speed 8’s thrilling triumph at Le Mans – Bentley marked its return to motorsport with a new car: the Continental GT3, a racing car based on the road-going Continental GT.
A Return to the Track
The third chapter of Bentley’s motorsport story began with the unveiling of the first Continental GT3 concept at the Paris Motor Show in 2012, followed by the first public running of the prototype development car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2013.
The car made its competitive debut at the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi that December, finishing fourth. This formidable car completed a full season of racing in the Blancpain Endurance Championship the following year, winning the second and third rounds at Silverstone and Paul Ricard respectively – the former representing the first British win by a works Bentley since the Double Twelve at Brooklands in 1930. Race by race, the team’s performance improved further, until in 2017, Bentley Team M-Sport won the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup outright.
Bentley Motorsport was based at the Bentley Motors headquarters in Crewe, from where the operation ran Bentley Team M-Sport, and had oversight of three Works-supported teams around the world. The Continental GT3 was designed and built in conjunction with M-Sport in Cumbria, and led by then Bentley Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush.
The success story of the first-generation Continental GT3 concluded in 2018, when the launch of the next-generation Continental GT3 provided the opportunity for a new race cart. The first-generation Continental GT3 hung up its boots with an impressive 528 races, 120 podiums, 45 wins and four championships under its belt.
Car #‘84
The first-generation Continental GT3 retained by the Heritage Collection is the 2015 chassis number 11, which is the #84 car run by the European works-supported Bentley outfit Team HTP. This car was driven to the Blancpain Sprint Series title that year by Bentley Boys Maximilian Buhk and Vincent Abril, who scored two wins and two second place finishes across the seven rounds of the championship, making this car the most successful example of the first-generation Continental GT3 family.
Date Produced | 2014-2017; this model 2015 |
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Body | GT production-based body shell modified for motorsport use; 1,285 kg |
Engine | 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, Cosworth EMS, dry sump |
Power | Up to 600 bhp depending on BOP |
Transmission | Rear wheel drive, Xtrac six-speed sequential transaxle gearbox, racing clutch, steering wheel mounted paddle operated pneumatic gear shift. Carbon fibre propshaft, LSD. |
Chassis | Double wishbone suspension front and rear, four-way adjustable racing dampers. Ventilated iron disc brakes front and rear, Brembo six-piston front calipers, four-piston rear calipers, driver-adjustable brake bias |
Dimensions | Width 2030 mm; length 4950 mm; weight 1285 kg |