Bentley prepares cars for race and road at Nurburgring 24 Hours

Bentley Motorsport will return to the Nurburgring 24 Hours for the third consecutive year this week as it aims for podium success with its three Continental GT3s. Working with European racing partners Bentley Team ABT, a division of well-known ABT Sportsline, Bentley is aiming for its strongest performance at the legendary Green Hell.

Extensive preparations have been made for the race, in which cars from the top automotive manufacturers compete in gruelling conditions for one of the most sought-after accolades in motorsport. Bentley Team ABT has competed in three races at the Nurburgring in 2017, consistently performing well.

In the second VLN race of the season, the team took Bentley's highest ever result on the infamous Nordschleife with a second-place finish.

With sights set on another Nurburgring podium, the Crewe-based Bentley Motorsport team will support the Bentley Team ABT entries. The three cars will all run on Yokohama tyres and the iconic Deutsche Post liveries of 2016 will be joined by a red-themed car of a similar design, sponsored by Magna.

To mark Bentley's participation in the ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race at the Nurburgring, a limited edition series of Continental 24 coupes has been commissioned specifically for the European market. Utilising the fastest Bentley ever - the 700bhp, 1,000Nm Continental Supersports - as its foundation, the Continental 24 features a wealth of interior and exterior design cues that reflect the car's motorsport themes.

The 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 soundtrack is bolstered by the Supersports' titanium exhaust system, while the engine itself is finished with a gloss carbon fibre cover. Performance figures for the Continental 24 are identical to those of the Supersports, with a top speed of 336km/h and a 0-100km/h timing of 3.5 seconds.

Bentley's mighty W12 engine - redeveloped for the Supersports with new high-performance turbos and engine hardware, and a torque vectoring system - create a Continental as agile as it is powerful. As well as offering supercar pace and a highly focused driving experience, there is no compromise in the refined nature of the Continental's ride quality. Customer deliveries of the Continental 24 will begin in July 2017.