At the Paris Motor Show held last September, Bentley presented a concept GT3 sports car based on the Continental GT model. Now the British manufacturer has gone one step further, unveiling the race-ready version of the car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Sussex. The company is putting the GT3 through an intensive programme of tests prior to returning to competitive racing in the 2014 season. The Bentley Continental GT3, which is powered by a 608bhp 4-litre V8 engine with two turbochargers, could be making an appearance in the 2014 ADAC GT Masters.

Rolf Frech, Chief Development Officer at Bentley Motors: "The Continental GT3 benefits from the enormous power that is packed by every Continental GT. We have cut down the weight by more than 1,000 kilos and tuned our four-litre V8 to pump out 608 horsepower. We have also developed a comprehensive aerodynamic package to create a vehicle that is capable of competing at top level. We look forward to taking this car out onto the track and putting its potential to the test."

The Continental GT3 is powered by a version of the efficient 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 from Bentley, which has been further optimised for racing with dry sump lubrication. Many engine components from the series model have also been incorporated into the race version. Under race conditions, the engine control unit develops an output of up to 608 horsepower. The V8 is a powerful, compact, lightweight engine that is ideal for racing.

More than 600 horsepower is transferred to the rear wheels via a cardan shaft made of carbon fibre and a sequential Xtrac 6-speed gearbox with limited slip differential that has been engineered to optimise the weight distribution in this particular transaxle construction. The gears are selected by means of shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel and are automatically implemented by a pneumatic controller.

Suspension for both front and rear wheels is by means of double wishbones. Instead of the air suspension used in the production model, the GT3 has four-way adjustable sports shock absorbers. The steering is equipped with hydraulic power assistance. The vented steel disc brakes are operated by six-piston callipers at the front and by four-piston callipers at the rear.

To achieve the ideal balance between maximum downforce and optimum drag, the body of the Continental GT3 has had a comprehensive aerodynamic makeover. The carbon-fibre rear wing mounted on the boot ensures both downforce and stability. The apron – likewise made of carbon fibre – controls the air flow at the front of the vehicle. During the process of optimising the drag coefficient and integrating further options for cooling the engine, the bonnet, bumpers, wheel arches and door sills were also reworked.

The Continental GT3 comes in below its target weight of 1,300 kilos. Despite its racing specification, the GT3 is yet another Bentley finished by hand. The covers and seams of the steering wheel, door pulls and the seats were handmade by specialist craftsmen in Crewe.

The in-house design team of Bentley engineers worked closely with M-Sport Ltd, the former Ford factory team in the World Rally Championship and technical partner for the Continental GT3 project. In addition to the racing area within the Bentley plant at Crewe, the developers also made use of additional development facilities at M-Sport, where various refinements were proposed and the first vehicle was built.

The Continental GT3 now has an intensive test programme ahead of it in preparation for ‘homologation´, i.e. official approval for its class. Next year, the Bentley Continental GT3 will be entered for its first full season of racing.