Speed 8: Wildest, Most Important Bentley of All Time
When people think Bentley, the last thing that comes to mind is motorsport. Well, this Bentley is a Le Mans legend.
When the British brand Bentley decided to return to building racing cars after a 73-year hiatus, nobody took them seriously. Bentley racing cars was like a chicken trying to fly. It had been so long nobody knew what they were up to, but at the same time, they remained curious. Bentley isn’t exactly a company that plays around. If they want to achieve something, they’ll do everything they can to do so.
The result of this was the Bentley Speed 8, a Le Mans prototype car. If you want to get back into racing, what better way than to start at the most prestigious endurance race in the world? That’s how you make a statement. During the 2001 season, the Speed 8 made its debut. And now, thanks to the 19Bozzy92 YouTube channel, we get to see this historic vehicle turn some laps once again at Monza Circuit in Italy.
This car was designed in collaboration with Audi and their R8C prototype. However, Audi discontinued the R8C after only a single year to focus on other their R8 prototype project. The Audi-built engine is a twin-turbocharged 3.6L V8 which later became 4 liters producing around 600 HP. The car differed from the Audi in many ways, such as mating an Xtrac 6-speed sequential transmission instead of a Ricardo unit. The tire choices were different.
Once the details with the car was sorted, it was time to get some comprehensive testing on the race track. Thus, they in 2003 entered the 12 Hours of Sebring and managed a 3rd and 4th place finish while starting from last. After their success at Sebring, it was time for a win at Le Mans. Thanks to Audi not participating during the 2003 season (their internal rivals), Team Bentley managed to secure a 1-2 finish whilst starting from pole position. This would be the last time the Speed 8 would ever race as their goal had been accomplished.
Only 5 of these machines would ever be built. A 2001 model managed to sell for an astonishing $2.53 million. Yes, these cars are that valuable. The other 4 cars are still under the ownership of Bentley. Although short-lived, this car may prove to be the most important model the brand ever produced. Will we get to see Bentley ever attack Le Mans again? Hopefully this time around it won’t be half a century of wait or more, but we can wait a little bit longer for now.
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