2015 Bentley Continental GT3-R Review

Amenia, new york -- With the Continental series, Bentley has established to be a master of the art of stratification, slicing the marketplace for its already quick, already luxurious, and already dearly-won motorcar (and convertible) into ever-finer striations of performance and exclusivity. the most recent example is that the 2015 Bentley Continental GT3-R, which, for currently a minimum of, sits at the terribly apex of the Continental hierarchy.
Although similar in construct to the previous Supersports, that departed with the prior-generation Continental, the GT3-R may be a slightly totally different twist on the final word Continental GT. The GT3-R takes its inspiration from the Continental GT3 automobile, that runs within the Pirelli World Challenge in North America and therefore the Blancpain Endurance Series in Europe. The GT3-R’s livery of white with inexperienced stripes -- the sole colour scheme offered -- is taken directly from the automobile. alternative visuals ar equally borrowed from the automobile, including the complete blackout trim, the distinctive black-finished 21-inch wheels, and therefore the hood vents. The front splitter, lower body extensions, door mirrors, and deck-mounted rear spoiler ar all carbon fiber. The sum impact is racy so.


Inside, the same inexperienced accents enliven the otherwise all-black cabin, that is richly clothed  in animal skin and Alcantara. Again, there’s many carbon fiber, that seems not even as a trim strip here and there, however covers the door panels in nice swaths and options conspicuously within the payload compartment graven out of the spot wherever the rear seat unremarkably would be. not like the Supersports, however, the GT3-R’s two remaining chairs do retain their power adjustment.
Eight beats twelve
It is a proof of the V-8 engine’s ascendency at Bentley that the top-performance Continental GT now uses eight-cylinder power instead of a W-12. The GT3-R’s twin-turbo V-8 makes 572 H.P. and 518 pound-feet of force, up from 521 H.P. and 502 lb-ft within the V8 S. (The twelve-cylinder 2015 Bentley Continental GT Speed, however, still offers additional, with 626 H.P. and 607 lb-ft.)


Although it can’t match the output of the GT Speed, the GT3-R is that the liveliest Continental we’ve ever driven. This Bentley isn’t just impressive underway; it lights out from a stop right now. motor-assisted by a lower final drive quantitative relation, the GT3-R can rocket from zero to sixty mph in three.6 seconds, making it the quickest production Bentley ever. customary carbon-silicon inorganic compound brake rotors reel during this quick machine, and ought to offer fade-free performance.
Aiding the GT3-R’s energy is that the proven fact that the automobile has shed some 220 pounds compared to the V8 S (and it’s a hundred pounds lighter than the previous Supersports). additionally to moving out the rear seat, alternative pounds-saving measures embody switch to a metallic element system and fitting lighter wheels. Of course, this is often still an important automobile at four,839 pounds, and it carries a heap of momentum into corners. however as we tend to plied the scenic back roads north and east of latest dynasty town, wherever the suburbs fall down to gentlemen’s farms, the superbly weighted steering and therefore the well-tuned chassis created this huge automobile straightforward to put, even at elevated speeds. At constant time, skillful calibration of the GT3-R’s air-sprung suspension has helped this husky machine retain a amazingly comfy ride even rolling on 21-inch wheels wrapped in low-profile (275/35 ZR21 Pirelli P Zero) rubber.


One of 300

So the GT3-R is one special Continental, that Bentley asks a walloping $337,000. That figure represents a larger than fifty % upcharge over the V8 S ($199,700) and also implies that the GT3-R is quite $100K dearer than the Continental GT Speed ($227,700). will the distinctive look and altered driving expertise create the GT3-R price it? Before you answer, contemplate conjointly that solely three hundred examples are going to be designed, ninety nine (sequentially numbered) for the us.
Far be it from North American nation to grasp the social science during this rarified air. Disregarding what you get hold of them, though, the changes visited upon the Continental to create the GT3-R are ones that we can definitely get behind. As for its exclusivity, that’s one thing we tend to can’t place a value on. Would-be Bentley boys (and girls) can ought to try this for themselves.