- Bentley EXP Speed 8 Winner Le Mans 2003
The firm's victory in the famous race didn't come easily. When the Speed 8 took the 4pm chequered flag last June, it marked the end of a gruelling multi-million pound, three-year campaign.
The British team had faced formidable opposition on the track from the R8 of VW Group stablemate Audi, plus criticism from the media, who said the Speed 8 was no more than the Audi with a roof and a new paint job. It was incredibly hard work to bring the car home first to give Bentley its sixth win - and first since 1930. The drivers will have been hot, battered by noise and exhausted, subjected to huge cornering forces and fighting to concentrate.
How do we know? Because in a special and exclusive 'first drive' at the Paul Ricard circuit in France, we were left shattered - and that was after only four laps. At 200mph, advanced aerodynamics push this 900kg racer down with a weight of 2.5 tonnes. This means that its cornering speeds are beyond belief. Even turning through bends at our mediocre track-day pace, we were amazed. But when five-times Le Mans winner Derek Bell took us out at pro-per race speed, we seriously thought we were going to crash.
With 600bhp from its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine (based on the Audi R8's 3.6-litre unit), the Speed 8 can hit 215mph and sprint from 0-60mph in less than 3.2 seconds. The powerplant is reliable and flexible and, in six years of testing and racing, the only unit to fail was when the Le Mans-winner over-heated during a victory parade in Paris!
While it isn't the fastest car in the world, the Speed 8 is certainly quick enough to keep you busy at the wheel, using the gearshift paddles of the six-speed sequential box. We were thankful Bentley introduced power-steering this year - Bell says piloting the 2002 Le Mans entry was really hard work.
But the most amazing part of the Speed 8, apart from the Batmobile-like styling, is the braking. Those 14-inch carbon discs rub the speed off so fast that you're hanging on to the five-point seatbelts, and feel bruised for days afterwards. But while we were battered, we knew we were lucky to have glimpsed life in the cockpit of a Le Mans winner.
The British team had faced formidable opposition on the track from the R8 of VW Group stablemate Audi, plus criticism from the media, who said the Speed 8 was no more than the Audi with a roof and a new paint job. It was incredibly hard work to bring the car home first to give Bentley its sixth win - and first since 1930. The drivers will have been hot, battered by noise and exhausted, subjected to huge cornering forces and fighting to concentrate.
How do we know? Because in a special and exclusive 'first drive' at the Paul Ricard circuit in France, we were left shattered - and that was after only four laps. At 200mph, advanced aerodynamics push this 900kg racer down with a weight of 2.5 tonnes. This means that its cornering speeds are beyond belief. Even turning through bends at our mediocre track-day pace, we were amazed. But when five-times Le Mans winner Derek Bell took us out at pro-per race speed, we seriously thought we were going to crash.
With 600bhp from its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine (based on the Audi R8's 3.6-litre unit), the Speed 8 can hit 215mph and sprint from 0-60mph in less than 3.2 seconds. The powerplant is reliable and flexible and, in six years of testing and racing, the only unit to fail was when the Le Mans-winner over-heated during a victory parade in Paris!
While it isn't the fastest car in the world, the Speed 8 is certainly quick enough to keep you busy at the wheel, using the gearshift paddles of the six-speed sequential box. We were thankful Bentley introduced power-steering this year - Bell says piloting the 2002 Le Mans entry was really hard work.
But the most amazing part of the Speed 8, apart from the Batmobile-like styling, is the braking. Those 14-inch carbon discs rub the speed off so fast that you're hanging on to the five-point seatbelts, and feel bruised for days afterwards. But while we were battered, we knew we were lucky to have glimpsed life in the cockpit of a Le Mans winner.