Bentley Continental Le Mans Collection released: special edition celebrating race success

• Special edition celebrates Le Mans victory in 2003
• Limited to 48 models worldwide
• Includes a piece of race-winning Speed 8 engine in the cabin
• Comes with 6.0-litre W12
• Special green, white and black finish

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Speed 8 winning the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race, Bentley has released a limited-run special edition of its premium grand tourer, the Continental and GTC convertible version.

Called the Continental Le Mans Collection, 48 units will be produced across the Continental and Continental GTC, and each will come with part of the race-winning car built into the interior.

Continental Le Mans Collection design

Mulliner has created a new paint colour for the Le Mans Collection inspired by the Speed 8. Called Verdant Green, it’s paired with a wide Moonbeam stripe across the bonnet – and roof of the coupe – much like the livery of the Le Mans-winning car.

A ‘7’ has been painted onto the huge grille as well, marking the number 7 the winning Speed 8 ran with in the 2003 edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours. It’s painted in the style of classic Bentleys that ran during the 1920s and 30s at the famous race.

There’s also lots of black and carbon fibre trim to further nod to the Speed 8. Beluga Black has been used on the lower bumper, mirror caps and on the boot panel below the lip spoiler. There’s also 22-inch black alloys and additional black trim pieces dotted around, with pinstripe detailing added in the classic Mulliner way.

Continental Le Mans Collection interior

Alterations have also been made in the cabin. You’ll find six wreaths together throughout, marking the six wins Bentley has had at Le Mans – most obviously on the passenger side of the dashboard and on the door sills.

There’s black leather and Dynamica suede-like upholstery for the seats, while some Hotspur red detailing helps lift the cabin. You also get a lot of carbon fibre and piano black trim, while there’s also chrome piping for a further premium finish.

To further emphasise the celebration, the normal 12-hour clock has been replaced by a 24-hour one to reflect the length of the legendary race.

But the highlight is in the rotating screen in the dashboard. Each of the Le Mans Collection models gets half of a valve that was part of the Speed 8’s engine. 24 of the 32 valves used in the race car’s V8 are being used across these special editions – quite a piece of motorsport history to have in your Continental.

Continental Le Mans Collection engine and chassis

Under the bonnet, you get the signature 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12 engine. Here it develops 659hp and 900Nm of torque. That means a top speed of 208mph and a 0-60mph time of 3.5 seconds.

Behind the 22-inch black alloy wheels, Bentley fits carbon fibre brake discs and red brake calipers. You also get the standard-fit active air suspension, all-wheel steering, an electronic limited-slip differential and variable electronic stability control – making it mechanically the same as the standard Continental and GTC.

Prices for this limited-run model have yet to be announced.

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