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The Bentley Speed 8 '03 (known as the Bentley Speed 8 Race Car '03 prior to Gran Turismo 6) is a race car produced by Bentley. It appears in Gran Turismo 4, Gran Turismo PSP, Gran Turismo 5 and Gran Turismo 6.

The car appears to be the #7, driven by Rinaldo Capello, Tom Kristensen, and Guy Smith, who finished the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1st place overall.

In-game Description[]

"The Bentley Racing machine, returning to the circuit after 71 years."


Although Bentley is mostly known today for its high-end luxury cars, it was a dominant force in racing from the early 1920 to 1930. The company actually won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times between 1923 and 1930. When Rolls-Royce absorbed Bentley in 1931, all racing activities stopped... that is until 1998 when Volkswagen resurrected Bentley's racing life. In 2001, after nearly 71 years, Bentley was back at Le Mans, on the Sarthe Circuit, with their EXP Speed 8.

The EXP Speed 8 was the only LMGTP-class vehicle, meaning that it was categorized with the open-top LMP900s. The 2001 vehicle regulations stated that a fixed-roof LMGTP race car must carry a penalty when racing against the open-top cars, but because the EXP Speed 8 was completed in 2000, that restriction was waived, and it was allowed to compete "as is".

The EXP Speed 8 had a lightweight monocoque carbon composite structure. Power came from a twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V-8, the same engine found in the Audi R8 in the LM900 class. The EXP Speed 8's greatest moment came in 2003 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Even after losing two laps to delays, the EXP Speed 8 managed a 1-2 finish. After 76 years, Bentley had once again climbed to the top of the podium at the greatest endurance race in the world.

Acquisition[]

Game Buy From Location Credits Win From Event
Gran Turismo 4 --- --- Circuit de la Sarthe 24h II
Gran Turismo PSP Bentley Dealership 4,000,000 ---
Gran Turismo 5 Used Car Dealership 5,750,000 ---
Gran Turismo 6 Bentley Dealership 1,900,000 ---

Pictures[]

Trivia[]

  • Data for a premium version of the Speed 8 existed as early as GT5, but would not materialize until the following game.[1][2]
    • In reverse, GT6 features an entry for a Standard/Simple interior version of the Speed 8 and the Jaguar XJR-9 '88, with "_std" suffix added to their internal names.[3]
  • In version 1.00 of GT6, this car was named Bentley EXP Speed 8 '03. As the EXP Speed 8 name was officially used only for the 2001 and 2002 version of the car, the change was reverted starting from the game's 1.01 update.

Notes[]

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