Bentley shed some light on the technical details of the Continental GT3 that will take part in the 2021 Pikes Peak hill climb on June 27.
The Pikes Peak hill climb starts at 9,300 ft and goes all the way to 14,100 ft above sea level, where the air is less dense. To counter such extreme conditions and hopefully set a new track record, the team had to revamp the car’s aerodynamics, chassis, and engine.
Bentley’s Pikes Peak racer extracts power from a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine, the same base unit found on the Continental GT road car. However, for the GT3 Pikes Peak variant, the powerhouse has been modified to produce an additional 100 hp, improving the specs to 750 hp and 737 lb-ft of torque. The transmission remains the same, although a special lubricant from Mobil 1 is used.
To withstand an increased dynamic pressure ratio, the development team installed new pistons and connecting rods along with larger turbos, good enough for 31.9 PSI of boost. In addition, the carbon-fiber intake manifold is now thicker and reinforced, unique Akrapovič 3D-printed Inconel exhaust manifolds have been added, and the exhaust pipes now emerge from behind the front wheels.
Unsurprisingly, the stock cooling system wasn’t enough anymore to sustain the heat coming out of the engine, so Bentley’s Pikes Peak technical team devised a secondary cooling system fitted at the rear.
The thin air at the top of the hills also doesn’t allow the standard aerodynamic components to generate enough downforce. To fix this, Bentley claims to have fitted its GT3 Pikes Peak with their largest rear wing ever, helping the car generate about 30 percent more downforce at sea level. Other modifications include a new rear diffuser and a two-plane splitter with dive planes at the front.
Most importantly, the racer runs on 98RON renewable racing fuel, a blend of advanced biofuels with 85% lower greenhouse-gas emissions. According to Bentley, it’s a technological stepping stone to commercialize renewable fuels and attain carbon neutrality.
The Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak is spayed in a stunning race livery with a black and yellow theme coupled with the Pikes Peak logo. Three-time Pikes Peak champion Rhys Millen was assigned the duty to shatter the Time Attack 1 record, for which he needs to complete the course in less than 9 minutes and 36 seconds.
More details to come closer to the race.
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