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Car of the Month
Selection
More on Bentley in these books:
Car of the Month - September 2021
Bentley Continental GT3 2013/2014
Race Car
When Bentley Motors launched the first press images of the new Bentley Continental GT3 in September 2012, that meant a long 'run-up'. Their project of a coupé designed for racing was still at an early stage of maturity. In that infant stage it was merely sufficient for first driving tests to be carried out in order to obtain essential data for further development. When the decision was made to unveil the model at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, scheduled for July 12-14, 2013, a very tight timeframe was set for completion.
Bentley's Motorsport Director Brian Gush had to rely on off-site development. He was responsible for overseeing development and construction, which was to take place at facilities set up by Malcolm Wilson, specializing in motorsport, in Cumbria, Great Britain. Although the Goodwood Festival of Speed was an event where more or less but 'demonstration runs' were performed, the debutant had to show its potential in front of a demanding audience, interspersed with top-class experts and knowledgeable journalists.
It was not until months later that the factory gave the
'thumbs up' for the first race under competition conditions. The 'Gulf
12 Hours' at the Marina-Circuit in the Gulf emirate of Abu Dhabi was
chosen for this purpose. An immense amount of fine-tuning had been done
to elevate the GT3 to a level where it could hold its own against
international competition. This is exemplified in the exterior
appearance by completely redesigned rear wing supports. Likewise, the
significantly more forward position of the exhaust system's side exit
indicates that a change to the bodywork was ultimately accepted for its
optimization.
