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2015 Bentley Continental GT3-R First Drive [w/video]

Racecars break. F1, NASCAR, IndyCar, GT3 – you name it – every go-fast machine built for the track is living on borrowed time. So it wasn't a complete surprise when, after traveling halfway around the world to drive Bentley's Continental GT3 racecar, the darn thing unceremoniously blew its rear differential on someone else's hot lap. While mentally recalibrating to the idea that my only takeaway from the three day commitment might be frequent flier miles, I realized an alternate vehicle on hand could make the trip worthwhile: the roadgoing, not-so-evil twin to the all-out race machine, the 2015 Bentley Continental GT3-R. You can hardly blame Bentley for the failure to proceed. The Flying B has been performing swimmingly well in the Blancpain Endurance Series, scoring three wins in its debut season and racking up a respectable 2015 so far. The dropped, spoilered, and severely trimmed-down GT3 racer reflects a ruthless abandon of all things luxurious and civilized. Over 50 ECUs were ditched from the road car; the doors alone, which typically weigh a lofty 125 pounds apiece, have been trimmed down to a wispy 15. Yes, the race version is a fearsome, sexy beast – and yes, this was quickly proving irrelevant because that drive was simply not meant to be.The Next Best Thing It's hard to call a $339,725 exotic a consolation prize. Climbing into the roadgoing GT3-R reveals a dramatic departure from the standard issue Conti: Not only is the color scheme unexpected (acid green on black and grey), so is the choice of materials (carbon fiber, Alcantara, not an inch of wood veneer in sight). Some pesky legacy remnants remain (antiquated navigation system, some weirdly pedestrian VW-sourced buttons and switches), but there's also a smattering of sweet details (those famous organ stop air vents, the green center indicator on the steering wheel, the pleasantly gripped Alcantara shifter). In all, 300 examples are being built, 99 of which are destined for the US. Unlike the somewhat sonorous GT V8 S upon which it's based, the GT3-R's titanium exhaust enables an even more exuberant, unapologetic, voluminous roar. Those exhaust gases are summoned from the 592-horsepower, 553-pound-foot, twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8, which gains 71 hp and 51 lb-ft over the V8 S model it's based on.

Meet the Greenest and Meanest vehicles of 2016

If you've been keeping track, you won't be surprised with the number one entry in this year's list of greenest cars from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). In fact, the top three spots on the 2016 list are all the same as they were in 2015. After that, things get interesting. For one thing, this is the first Greenest list that doesn't have any purely internal combustion engine powertrain on it. Hybrids, yes, but if you want to be one of the top 12 greenest cars this year, you'd better have some sort of electric angle. ACEEE says that the conventional, gas-powered Smart Fortwo and Chevrolet Spark just missed the cut. In a statement, ACEEE lead vehicle analyst Shruti Vaidyanathan said, "The 2016 scores are in, and plug-in electric vehicles are outpacing all other vehicle offerings in terms of environmental friendliness." Like last year, one of the noticeable vehicles missing from the green list is the Tesla Model S. One reason? ACEEE takes curb weight into account (lighter is better), and the Model S is a heavy beast. The ACEEE doesn't just look at the clean side of the ledger. It also puts out a "meanest" list. These are the vehicles that pollute the most, not only from their tailpipes, but also any pollution created during the entire manufacturing process, from mining the raw materials to the energy used to produce the vehicle at the factory. The entire list, from greenest to meanest, is done using a "cradle to grave" analysis. You can see how the ACEEE determines its rankings here, explore the entire greenest cars site here, or click through our galleries to see which vehicles are extra green (above) or extra mean (below) this year. 12: Mercedes-Benz GL550 4MATIC View 12 Photos More Electric Cars than Ever on Greenest Vehicles List Electric Vehicles Nab 9 out of Top 12 Spots in ACEEE's Environmental Vehicle Rankings Washington, DC: Despite a tumultuous year for the automotive industry, manufacturers have continued to offer exciting technology options for a growing vehicle market. Today at greenercars.org, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released its 19th annual comprehensive environmental ratings for vehicles. The following vehicles comprise the Greenest List for 2016: Greenest Score 1. Mercedes-Benz Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Convertible / Coupe 63 2. Chevrolet Spark EV 63 3. Fiat 500E 62 4. Toyota Prius Eco 61 5. Volkswagen E-Golf 61 6. Nissan Leaf S / Leaf SV 61 7. Kia Soul Electric 59 8.

Bentley will build 1929 Team Blower continuation series of 12 cars

Bentley considers Sir Tim Birkin’s supercharged 4 1/2 -liter Team Blower race car to be the company's "most revered heritage car" ever. So revered, in fact, that Bentley wants to make the car again, 12 times over. With the help of some reverse engineering by Mulliner, Bentley has announced its intentions for an extremely special continuation series limited to only a dozen examples built nearly identical to the original.  Through various methods, Bentley has been celebrating its heritage all throughout 2019, the centenary of the brand's founding. Just in the summer months, Bentley released the third-gen Flying Spur, unveiled the EXP 100 GT autonomous electric concept, built a Continental GT convertible that honors the 1929 Blower Number 1, won Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours, and re-created 1939 Corniche sedan with the help of Mulliner. That last achievement is particularly relevant, as Mulliner typically crafts bespoke new cars, as opposed to building old ones. After successfully bringing the Corniche into the 21st century, however, Bentley is confident Mulliner can take on the complex task of rebuilding the legendary Team Blower.  Bentley claims this will be the world's first continuation of a pre-war race car, and the original production run didn't even make it to double digits. Only four Team Blowers were built for Birkin and the boys to race, which they did at Le Mans and all over Europe. Bentley is building 12 re-creations because that's how many races the original cars competed in. In order to take this project on, Bentley will disassemble Team Blower chassis No. HB 3404 down to its nuts and bolts. The parts will all be cataloged and 3D scanning of each individual piece will create the foundation for the new cars. Bentley will then combine use of the original 1920s molds and tooling jigs with modern manufacturing methods to create 12 identical sets of parts. The new cars will be as close to identical to the original car as possible, but current safety regulations will force Bentley to make a few changes and alterations. Under the hood, the Continuation Series cars will have 16-valve four-cylinder engines with aluminum crankcases, cast-iron cylinder liners, and non-detachable cast-iron cylinder heads. With the help of Amherst Villiers Mk IV roots-type supercharger replicas, the 4,398 cc engines will be rated at 240 bhp at 4,200 rpm.