Beautiful Bentleys from past and present at Hampton Court Palace

• Beautiful Bentleys from past and present at Hampton Court Palace
• Bentley key sponsor of 5-7 September Concours
• Luxury and performance from across the eras

Some of the finest examples of the Bentley marque are set to shine at the 2014 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace this September. Five Bentleys will feature in the 60 exceptional cars chosen for this year’s Concours, with owners from around the world displaying their cars in the Fountain Gardens at Hampton Court.

Among the Bentleys will be a 1931 8 Litre Park Ward Sports Saloon. Regarded as one of the finest models to have been created by the company’s founder W.O. Bentley, the 8-litre combined breath-taking performance for a grand saloon (it was capable of 100mph in 1930) with the height of bespoke luxury and comfort. A press review of the time simply described the 8 Litre as “motoring in its very highest form.”

Bentley Motors, a key sponsor of the Concours, will also present a range of exciting cars representing the company’s enduring commitment to luxury and performance. A remarkable double Le Mans winning car, known affectionately as Old No 1, will take pride of place in the Bentley display. The Speed Six racer won the iconic 24 hours endurance race in successive years (1929 and 1930) and recently thundered up the famous hill at Goodwood.

Bringing the Bentley performance story right up to date is the new Continental GT3-R. Inspired by Bentley’s Continental GT3 race car which has stormed to back-to-back victories Silverstone and Paul Ricard in its debut season in the Blancpain Endurance Series, the Continental GT3-R blends proven track and road credentials, and is a highly exclusive and potent interpretation of performance-focused luxury.

Powered by Bentley’s renowned 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, this two-seater GT develops 580 PS (572 bhp / 426 kW) and 700 Nm of torque and reaches 60 mph from a standstill in just 3.6 seconds; establishing the GT3-R as the fastest accelerating road-going Bentley of all time. The 2014 Concours of Elegance will mark one of the first opportunities to see the Bentley GT3-R.

Bentley’s contribution to creating some of the world’s most luxurious and elegant cars will be showcased with the appearance of the company’s new Flying Spur V8 and flagship Mulsanne.

Hand-built at the company’s Crewe headquarters and combining state-of-the-art technology with traditional craftsmanship using the finest wood veneers and leather, the Mulsanne saloon is the modern successor to cars like the 8 Litre and iconic Blue Train Bentley Speed Six which secured the overall award at the 2013 Concours of Elegance at St. James’s Palace.  

Bentley at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2014.

• New Continental GT3-R makes its global debut
• Race winning GT3 completes Hillclimb
• Historic Le Mans racers Old No. 1, Old No. 2 and Old No. 3 reunite
• Derek Bell pilots dynamic new GT V8 S
• Full Bentley range on display

Bentley prepares for the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed with an exclusive line up of cars. Spanning the company’s rich 95‑year heritage, the Bentley models on display at Goodwood showcase the best in British luxury and performance.

Making its global debut on the Bentley stand is the new Continental GT3-R – the most dynamic and fastest-accelerating Bentley ever produced. Inspired by Bentley’s race-winning Continental GT3 racer, the GT3-R is powered by Bentley’s race- and road-proven 4.0 litre V8 engine, producing 580 PS and 700 Nm of torque. A weight reduction of 100 kg combines with torque vectoring and shorter gearing to deliver a breathtaking driving experience.

The GT3-R is limited to just 300 examples, all hand built in Crewe and finished by Bentley’s motorsport department, and will be on display on the Bentley stand throughout the Festival weekend.

The inspiration behind the GT3-R – the Continental GT3 race car – will also be making an appearance at Goodwood. Fresh from its recent victory at the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Silverstone, the GT3 will be piloted up the hill by modern-day Bentley Boy David Brabham, who drove a Bentley Speed 8 to second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2003, completing the famous Bentley 1-2. The Continental GT3 takes to the hill throughout the weekend, while Team M-Sport Bentley enters its two GT3 cars in the next round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Paul Ricard in southern France.

Tracing the roots of the brand’s racing heritage, three historic Bentleys will reunite for the first time in over a decade to complete Goodwood’s famous Hillclimb. The Speed Six Bentley, affectionately known as ‘Old Number 1’, won Le Mans in 1929 and 1930 with Woolf Barnato partnering Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin (1929) and Glen Kidston (1930) as well as winning at Brooklands.

This unique and celebrated racing car will be accompanied by two more classic Bentleys. ‘Old Number 2’ and ‘Old Number 3’ are both in their original form and raced alongside Old Number 1 at Le Mans in 1930.

An exquisite line-up of Bentley’s luxury performance road cars will be displayed on the company’s stand, with one of the latest additions to the range – the Continental GT V8 S – being driven up the hill by five-time Le Mans winner and Bentley Boy, Derek Bell. For the first time, Bentley will also be displaying a range of pre-owned models, on a separate stand in the Exhibitors’ Area.