Limited-edition versions of the Bentley Continental GT and Bentley Continental GTC have been revealed to mark the 20th anniversary of Bentley’s sixth victory at the iconic French race track.
The Continental GT and GTC Le Mans Collection cars have been created by Bentley’s coachbuilding division, Mulliner, in homage to the race-winning Speed 8 of 2003.
Packing the same twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 as the top-rung Continental GT Speed, the Le Mans editions get 650bhp, 664lb ft, a top speed of 208mph and a 0-62mph time of 3.6sec. Stopping power comes from carbon-ceramic brakes and manoeuvrability is aided by four-wheel steering and an electronic limited-slip differential.
Two specifications are offered: Blackline and Styling. Blackline has the black and green livery used on the Bentley Speed 8 racer, while Styling makes extensive use of exposed carbonfibre.
Elsewhere, the pair nod to Bentley’s racing heritage with a white #7 painted onto the matrix grille, and the lower front bumper, wing mirror caps and bootlid are finished in Beluga black.
All cars feature the familiar three-way rotating display, which allows the driver and passengers to see a touchscreen or dual veneer or analogue dials. In place of the standard central dial, Le Mans Collection cars come with a glass display case housing an engine valve from the 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 used in the Speed 8.
In all, 24 of the 32 valves were placed in these heritage-edition cars.
Inside, British Racing Green leather is used for the seats, and the standard 12-hour clock has been replaced with a digital clock that displays 24-hour time only. A ‘2003’ wreath puddle lamp activates when the door is opened – to reveal a Speed 8-badged, illuminated sill plate.