Special-edition Bentley echoes GT3 racers

Published May 23, 2017

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Crewe, Cheshire – Building on the iconic tradition of the original ‘Bentley Boys’ of the 1930s, and their exploits in endurance racing, Bentley’s present-day motorsport effort is concentrated on GT3-class sports-car endurance racing.

And today’s Bentley Boys – among them Jordan Lee Pepper from Johannesburg – will be back at the Nurburgring this weekend with three works Continental GT3 entries for its European partner Hans-Jurgen Abt, director of Abt Sportline, in their third attempt at winning the prestigious Nurburgring 24 Hours.

Team Abt has already competed in three rounds of the German VLN series for GT3 cars at the Nurburgring so far this year, with a best result to date of second in the second race of the season, so a podium finish is definitely on the cards – although Abt refused to make any predictions, citing the unpredictable nature endurance racing.

Two of the cars will run in Team Abt’s familiar black and yellow Deutsche Post livery, while the third will wear the red and black colours of new sponsor Magna.

To commemorate the team’s full-tilt challenge at one of the world’s great endurance races, Bentley is building just 24 examples of the Continental 24, a limited-edition special based on the 522kW, 1000Nm Continental Supersports – the fastest street-legal Bentley yet, sprinting to 100km/h in 3.5 seconds and topping out at 336km/h – with a number of interior and exterior design cues that reflect its motorsport heritage.

They’ll be available in either yellow over black, or red over black, as per the Team Abt cars, or in a plain colour of your choice, with special 21 inch lightweight forged-alloy rims featuring red or yellow accents to match your choice of body colour.

Carbon-fibre mirror housings and black brake callipers are standard, and all the exterior brightwork is blacked out, while the otherwise standard six-litre, twin-turbo W12 gets a custom carbon-fibre engine cover and an authoritative Supersports titanium auspuff.

There’s more 24-specific kit inside, starting with fascias, door panels and individually-numbered tread plates in carbon fibre, as well as diamond-quilted alcantara upholstery with a special emblem on the head restraints and “Continental 24” inlays on the fascias, and trim elements in either red or yellow as per the body colour.

You had to ask

Customer deliveries of the Continental 24 will begin in July 2017, with prices starting at €250 000 (R3.71 million).

IOL Motoring

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