It will attempt to set a new Pikes Peak Record later in the year.
Bentley will be returning to Pikes Peak again in 2021, two years after it broke the production model record in July 2019. The British automaker is aiming to challenge the Time Attack 1 record with a special vehicle. The Continental GT3 Pikes Peak is the brand’s first racecar that runs on renewable fuel.
Based on the Conti GT3, this new competitor will use biofuel-based gasoline. Bentley stated that “various blends” of fuels are being evaluated and tested. The company estimates that an increase of up to 85 percent in greenhouse gas (GHG), emissions over conventional fossil fuel is possible. Bentley states that this is only the beginning of a larger program in biofuels/e-fuels.
The Continental GT3 Pikes Peak has been described as the “most extreme road-car-based Bentley ever made.” It is powered by a version 4.0-liter turbo V8. The engine has been modified to be capable of operating at 14,100 feet (4 298 meters) above sea-level. The dramatic sound that you would expect from a race car is made by short exhaust pipes with side exits should be produced.
Reworked aerodynamics include cooling air scoops replacing the rear windows. The car also has the “largest rear wing ever installed to a Bentley” which is located above a highly efficient diffuser. The car will be driven by Rhys Millen during the 2021 Pikes Peak.
“We are thrilled to be returning to Pikes Peak as the launch project of another element of our Beyond100 programme,” Matthias Rabe (Bentley’s engineer board member), comments. “Our powertrain engineers are currently researching both biofuels as well as e-fuels to be used by our customers along with our electrification program. We have intermediate steps in adopting renewable fuels at our factory in Crewe, and in our company fleet.