LUXURY car maker Bentley has pulled the wraps off its new race car-inspired Continental GT3-R. Taking inspiration from the firm’s new GT3-spec competition machine, the GT3-R is said to blend high performance with Bentley’s trademark luxury approach to motoring.

The GT3-R will be a rare beast, too. Just 300 models will be made, conveniently timed to coincide with Bentley’s recent success at the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Silverstone – taking a win in the first UK race for the company in 84 years.

All 300 examples of the Continental GT3-R will be hand-built in Crewe and finished in Bentley’s Motorsport division.

Bentley engineers have developed a retuned version of the firm’s race-proven, high performance 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 for the GT3-R. Developing 580 horsepower together with a 100kg weight reduction and shorter gearing, the Continental GT3-R is the fastest-accelerating Bentley with a zero to 60mph sprint time of 3.6 seconds.

Tweaks to the car’s all-wheel drive system and electronic stability control are said to further boost the car’s performance over the standard car.

There’s no word on price, but you can expect the limited edition GT3-R to be significant sum given its extra performance and added supreme exclusivity.