Last year, the Bentley Bentayga demonstrated performance prowess by setting a new outright record for a production SUV at the Pikes Peak course, completing the challenging 12.42-mile course in just 10 minutes and 49.9 seconds, beating the previous record by nearly two minutes.
Since then, the luxury automaker has been busy preparing the Continental GT to set another speed record this year. Last weekend, Bentley returned to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with its specially modified Continental GT, where it managed to claim a new outright record for a production car.
With three-time champion Rhys Millen behind the wheel, who also drove the Bentayga to victory at Pikes Peak last year, the Continental GT conquered the 12.42-mile course in just 10 minutes and 18.488, 8.4 seconds faster than the previous record. No doubt it will be a long time before that time gets beaten. Impressively, the luxury grand tourer recorded an average speed of 70 mph. This was no small feat considering the Continental had to climb almost 5,000 ft through 156 bends. With the start line at 9,300 ft and climbing to 14,100 ft, the air is one third less dense than at sea level, which posed a significant challenge. While the Continental GT has claimed the production car record, the outright Pikes Peak record is still held by the Volkswagen ID. R, which completed the course in just seven minutes and 57.148.
"This is an amazing finish to a wet, snowy 2019 run at Pikes Peak! We came here with one goal in mind, and that was to be the fastest production car up the mountain and set a new record. It was an incredible week," Millen commented. "Today was a challenge with what Mother Nature threw at us, but the Continental GT held strong all the way to the top, and we are now Number One."
Like the standard Continental GT, the record-breaking car is powered by 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 that produces 626 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque, enabling the luxury grand-tourer to accelerate from 0-62 mph in 3.6 seconds. It also wore a unique green livery with the racing number #100 to mark Bentley's centenary year.
"This new record once again proves that the spirit of endeavour and desire to push the boundaries of automotive performance remain at the beating heart of Bentley. It clearly demonstrates the Continental GT's astonishing breadth of ability," said Bentley's Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush.