Road test: 2015 Bentley Continental GT3-R - The National
Bentley, more than any other luxury-car manufacturer, has a genuine motorsport heritage, and after an extended hiatus it’s back, enjoying huge success in racing with its pared-to-the-bone Continental GT3, and naturally there’s a limited-edition... experienced a passenger ride round Yas Marina Circuit earlier this year, but as I pick up the key for an actual drive on the roads, I have to say I’m still confused by the GT3-R. I have spoken at length with Bentley’s engineers over the past decade, and they’ve told me that what they would really love to do is design and build a genuine sports car. The Continental, in this guise, still doesn’t cut it, and the GT3 racer that’s gaining podium wins all over the world shares its overall body shape with this homage but little else. This GT3-R, Bentley says, is its fastest accelerating, most driver-focused model ever, but it has still missed a trick. Outside, it’s all shouty, with aggressive-looking carbon-fibre addenda and silly green graphics that are more boy racer than Bentley Boy. Bentley has reduced the weight of the GT3-R by 100 kilograms, and to help with that, the rear seats have been junked and there’s lightweight Alcantara covering vast swathes of its panelling. Source: www.thenational.ae
