Bentley Motorsport has unveiled an all-new Continental GT3 race car, currently in development for the 2018 motorsport season.

The second-generation Continental GT3 is the latest dedicated racecar in an acclaimed Bentley motorsport lineage that includes the 4½ Litre, Speed Six and Speed 8 Le Mans winners. The first-generation Continental GT3 has proven to be a championship-winning endurance racer, scoring 120 podiums and 45 wins across 528 races around the world to date.

Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush, comments: “After four years of success with our Continental GT3, we’re excited to reveal our second-generation car. The new car leaves no area or system untouched in the search for even better performance, and the early test results are promising. The new Continental GT road car has proved to be a great starting point for the development of a new racer, and the engineering development work is true to Bentley’s impeccable standards.”

Development of the new car has been led by the engineers of Bentley Motorsport’s in-house team based in Crewe, together with designers and technicians at Bentley’s motorsport technical partner, M-Sport.

The new Continental GT3 has been designed from the all-new Continental GT road car, utilising its mostly aluminium structure as the foundation to deliver a race-ready weight of significantly less than 1300kg and helping to deliver an ideal weight distribution for racing.

The engine is a new development of the renowned and race-proven 4.0-litre Bentley twin-turbo V8, with a totally redesigned dry sump system and all-new intake and exhaust systems. Unrestricted power is in excess of 550 bhp.

Exterior aerodynamic surfaces have been crafted in the wind tunnel and are based on the shape of the road car, enhancing the muscular exterior panels with aerodynamic devices for additional downforce. Suspension and braking systems are new and bespoke to the Continental GT3, said Bentley.

The all-new racecar has already started a six-month test programme to pick up the mantle from its championship-winning predecessor, completing test work in the UK, France and Portugal. Upcoming development work includes full 24-hour endurance race simulations.

The new Continental GT3 will make its race debut at the opening round of the 2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup at Monza.