Bentley details 750bhp-plus Continental GT3 Pikes Peak racer

Bentley has revealed more details about the Continental GT3 race car that will spearhead its return to the formidable Pikes Peak International Hillclimb for the third and final time later this year in pursuit of a 'triple crown' of course records.

Having set a record time for a production SUV at the Colorado course with its Bentayga in 2018 and the production car record the following year with the Continental GT, Bentley will now seek to achieve the Time Attack 1 record for modified, production-based vehicles.

The racer of choice is a substantially upgraded version of the GT3-specification Continental GT, which will be piloted once again by drifting champion Rhys Millen, who is aiming to cover the 12.42-mile, 156-corner course in less than nine minutes and 36 seconds - 42 seconds quicker than his 2019 time.

The Continental GT3 Pikes Peak, run in partnership with customer race team Fastr, is described as "the most extreme road-car-based Bentley in history," with revisions over the customer racer extending to a dramatic aerodynamics package and comprehensive powertrain modifications.

Most obviously, the car features the "biggest rear wing ever fitted to a Bentley," along with a chunky rear diffuser and a dual-plane front splitter. The rear windows have been swapped for air scoops - which will aid cooling in the thin air at the top of the mountain - while other Pikes-Peak-specific additions include a full roll cage and, crucially, a stopwatch.

Bentley says its modifications result in a 30% increase in overall downforce at sea level. The majority of these parts are made with carbon nylon filament using rapid-prototype, additive manufacturing techniques at the Bentley factory in Crewe.

Just as significant as the visual enhancements are the powertrain upgrades, which allow the racer to be run on biofuel-based petrol, in line with Bentley's wider goal to promote and prove synthetic fuel technology.

The Continental uses a variation of the road car's twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre petrol V8, with a "significant" power hike courtesy of the modifications and the fuel used. New pistons and conrods have been installed to turn additional boost pressure (over 2.2 bar) into power and the fibre intake manifold is thicker and has been reinforced.