Bentley creates a Le Mans collection 2 decades after its legendary victory.
Bentley celebrates 20 years since its sixth victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 100 years since the first running of the legendary race by creating a limited edition of Continental GT Coupés and Continental GTC’s. Each of the models will be powered by the Bentley W12 engine, the most successful 12-cylinder engine of the modern era.
The Le Mans Collection features unique exterior and interior details inspired by the Le Mans winning Speed 8 #7. In this article, we will explore the various aspects of the Le Mans Collection in detail and understand how this exclusive collection of ultimate Grand Tourers pays tribute to Bentley’s shared history with the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The Le Mans Collection is an exclusive set of Grand Tourers that honors Bentley’s long and glorious history with the Le Mans 24 Hours. 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.
Mulliner, Bentley’s personal commissioning division, has taken inspiration from the dark green Speed 8 racing cars that swept all before them at Le Mans in 2003. Mulliner’s designers closely studied the winning Speed 8 of 2003, one of the most beautiful racing cars ever to triumph at Le Mans.
The Le Mans Collection features 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 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 Le Mans Collection Bentleys feature many bespoke details, including the Bentley matrix grille, which features a painted #7 in Arctica white, combining the race-winning number of 2003 with the painted radiators of the Bentleys that won Le Mans five times between 1924 and 1930. 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 Continental GT and GTC are equipped with Bentley’s renowned 6.0-litre W12 TSI engine, delivering 659 PS and an extraordinary 900 Nm of torque. With exceptional handling, this results in a top speed of 335 km/h and 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds. They come with Bentley Dynamic Ride, optional Carbon Ceramic Brakes, Variable Electronic Stability Control, All-Wheel Steering and an Electronic Limited Slip Differential.
