Bentley Motors, maker of the world's most luxurious and powerful production cars, has developed the Le Mans Series to maintain the company's proud and unique sporting record at that most demanding event which shares, with the Indy 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix, status as one of the world's three greatest motor races.
The momentous return to the Sarthe circuit this year has generated unprecedented levels of interest from around the world, and the Le Mans Series cars reflect that passion in a way that only cars bearing the Bentley wings can.
Tony Gott, Chief Executive of Bentley Motors commenting on the launch said: "Just seven weeks ago, at the Detroit International Motor Show, we unveiled the noisiest, most uncomfortable, cramped and arguably impractical Bentley ever made – the EXP Speed 8. It is our 2001 challenger for the 24 hour race at Le Mans, the scene of our greatest triumphs over seventy years ago. As I said at the time: It drinks fuel at a rate that makes the most thirsty four by four sports utility seem like it's on an economy run; it has no airbags, cup holders or satellite navigation and it'll never sell!"
He added: "It's a car that will compete at an event that is so important to us that you could say it is in the DNA of every Bentley ever made. Bentley is going back to its roots with a race car of which W O himself would have been proudly delighted and we're going back to that most demanding of races, which Bentley first won in 1924 and then in 1927, 28, 29 and in 1930.