The Le Mans Collection: Celebrating shared history
Bentley's Le Mans Collection marks the 20th anniversary of Bentley’s sixth victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Apr 13, 2023
Bentley are producing a limited run of just 48 Continental GT and GTCs globally that celebrate the brands heritage at Le Mans. The cars are powered by Bentley's 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 and are crafted by Mulliner, Bentley’s personal commissioning division.
Bentley has a rich heritage in motorsport from which they can draw to create exclusive editions and New Zealand has been fortunate enough to see many popular iterations like the Continental and Bentayga Pikes Peak editions. Bentley is now looking to some of their most storied successes in motorsport with the Le Mans collection. Marking 20 years since Bentley’s sixth victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and 100 years since the first running of the legendary race, where the brand recorded the fastest lap, Bentley is creating a limited edition of Continental GT Coupés and Continental GTC’s. The Le Mans Collection includes unique exterior and interior details that echo the design of the Le Mans winning Speed 8 #7.
The artisans at Bentley's bespoke division, Mulliner, Bentley’s personal commissioning division, have taken inspiration from the dark green Speed 8 racing cars that swept all before them at Le Mans in 2003, considered by many one of the most beautiful racing cars ever to triumph at Le Mans. The limited number of Continental GT’s and Continental GTC’s in the Le Mans Collection are finished in Verdant green, with a Moonbeam racing stripe across the bonnet (and Coupé roof). The Blackline specification nods to the black and green livery of the Speed 8, while the carbon-fibre Styling specification body components are finished in black with a subtle pinstripe in Moonbeam. Beluga black is also chosen for the lower front bumper, wing mirror caps and rear ‘horseshoe’ area beneath the bootlid spoiler, while black 22-inch ten-spoke wheels shroud powerful carbon ceramic brakes and red brake calipers.
The interiors of the Le Mans Collection Continental GT and Continental GTC are far more luxurious than those of the Bentley Speed 8s – but there’s the same sense of sporting purpose. A bespoke 2003 wreath welcome lamp ushers you into a cockpit trimmed in Beluga hide. Performance-bred napped Dynamica fabric covers the seat faces, while the interior’s monochrome colour scheme is relieved by contrast seat stitching and seatbelts in Hotspur. The steering wheel, trimmed in hide and Dynamica, also features Hotspur contrast stitching and six o’clock accent tab.
The dual-finish veneer on fascia and door waist rails is executed in Piano Black and high gloss carbon fibre, with a fine chrome pinstripe separating the two. Matching doors to fascia so the pinstripe flows seamlessly from one side to the other is a mark of the exceptional craftsmanship in every Bentley.
The Le Mans Collection Bentleys feature many bespoke details, beginning with the Speed 8 sill plates and six-wreath treadplates that greet occupants on entering the interior. The fascia displays the six-wreath emblem inlaid into high gloss carbon fibre, marking each of the six outright victories recorded by Bentley at Le Mans between 1924 and 2003.
The Le Mans Collection Continental GT and GTC are equipped with Bentley’s renowned 6.0-litre W12 TSI engine, delivering 659 PS (650 bhp) and an extraordinary 900 Nm (664 lb.ft) of torque. With exceptional handling, this results in a top speed of 208 mph (335 km/h) and 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds (0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds). A combination of four chassis technologies give the new limited edition a level of agility, performance and ride quality as expected of a car with this heritage.
Bentley Dynamic Ride and three-chamber active air suspension with adaptive damping play a key role in the balance of the car and provide a formidable foundation to build upon. The optional and newly-developed Carbon Ceramic Brakes, Variable Electronic Stability Control, All Wheel Steering, and an Electronic Limited Slip Differential bolster the agility and performance even further.
