Bentley Continental to invade Pikes Peak running on renewable fuel
The Continental GT3 will run on sustainable fuel and kick off a new initiative for the British brand -- climate-neutral fuel atlernatives.
The industry is completely focused on electrifying road cars right now, but a few others see a complementary path to zero emissions: sustainable fuel. First came Porsche and its E-Fuel, and now Bentley's jumping in with the car you see here. This Bentley Continental GT3 runs on renewable fuel and plans to tackle the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this summer.
As cool as the car looks and the prospect of a renewable gasoline-type fuel is, the car launches Bentley's latest sustainability push to one day deliver sustainable fuels to Bentley customers. To be clear, this day is likely a good ways off, but still, these kinds of programs hold a lot of promise. Imagine a world where you pump your car full of carbon-neutral fuel, yet you still enjoy pros that come with a performance car and an internal-combustion engine. Sign me up.
The car will still run a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, but a few modifications to ensure it makes a "significant" amount of horsepower. Other changes include a massive rear wing -- the largest Bentley's ever engineered -- a set of air scoops and a rear aero package. All we know on the fuel so far is it's a blend of biofuel-based gasoline, but regardless, it's clear the idea is to test the fuel in a high-performance environment.
The Continental is based on a GT3 race car and will test the fuel on the 12.42-mile hill climb as it darts up a 5,000-foot elevation change along the way. The car will encounter 156 corners and clock an average speed of 78 mph. As for the driver, Bentley enlisted three-time Pikes Peak champ Rhys Millen to drive the car. Bentley also hopes it'll land a triple crown. Right now, the company holds the Production SUV and Production Car records. This car could take home the Time Attack I outright record.
We'll see the biofuel-powered Bentley shoot up the hill on June 27, and with it, perhaps we can dream of e-fuel-powered engines in the future.
