A few days prior to its American debut at this year’s Pebble Beach, the new Bentley Continental GT3-R receives its price tag and it reads $337,000. That put this fast Bentley in Ferrari F12’s line of fire, and that’s a very tough spot; especially for a middle-aged, slightly fat English car.
Inspired by the Continental GT3 race car, the Bentley Continental GT3-R is a very fine car. It manages to be quick while retaining most of the GT’s comfort and luxury. The trouble is, it is trying very hard to be what it really isn’t. It is trying to be a speed machine by losing a lot of weight and wearing a track suit, but it’s not built for this job. The F12, on the other hand, was born an athlete, all ripped and fit.
The other problem that might make people think twice before blowing up $340K on this Bentley is that it is just plain ugly. The standard Conti GT is a fine looking brute, but this one with those unsightly nostrils and that hideous little spoiler at the back looks wrong from every angle.
As for the technicalities, Bentley Continental GT3-R – limited to 300 units – is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 tuned to 572 bhp and 516 lb-ft of torque. The car is pretty quick for its size, making 60 mph out of nothing in just 3.6 seconds.
