A BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT NOW HOLDS PIKES PEAK RECORD

Bentley has broken another Pikes Peak record, the second in two years, this time for production cars in a Continental GT.

Rhys Millen, the same chap who broke the production SUV record in 2018 for Bentley, piloted the stock Continental GT to a time of 10 minutes and 18.48 seconds to take the production car record by 8.4 seconds at Colorado’s infamous Pikes Peak hill climb.

For safety sake, the only modifications the lime green Bentley received included a roll-cage, racing seats and harness. Otherwise, the GT is the same vehicle you can drive off the showroom floor, boasting a 626bhp twin-turbocharged W12 engine.

Still, at 2.2 tons, the Continental is no featherweight so, averaging 70mph over the 12.4-mile course is a testament to Bentley's development over the past few years, especially when you consider the loose surface and tight bends of the 5000ft climb.

What's arguably more of a statement is that the previous record, set in 2014 by David Donner, was achieved in a Porsche 911 Turbo S. Considering the Continental GT is a... you guessed it, a Grand Tourer, taking the title from the benchmark in sports cars is astounding.

This also looks promising for the next generation of Bentley's that will be hitting the road over the next few years, including an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera and Ferrari 812 Superfast challenger they're calling the Speed model, with a 700bhp V8.

Let's see if Bentley will go for gold again in Colorado next year. We think they probably will...

Check out the interview and action with Rhys Millen driving the Bentley Continental GT up Pikes Peak for the title in the video below.