Beyond its connection to Rolls-Royce, Bentley cars these days are known for luxurious and posh motoring. However, the company's century-old history came with performance machines as well, most notably so in the 1920s when it headlined the 24 Hours of Le Mans for several years.
With nearly a hundred years since Bentley first started making performance vehicles, the evolution should have been massive but how much exactly? In this drag race, courtesy of the UK's Carwow, four significant performance models with Bentley badges lined up for what appears to be the most expensive drag race ever.
Gallery: 1929 Bentley Supercharged 4½-Litre Blower
And that's because of the oldest contender in the straight-line contest – the Blower Bentley, which is 93 years old and valued at £20 million or around $23 million at today's exchange rates. It's powered by a Roots-type supercharged four-banger making 240 horsepower (179 kilowatts) and 258 pound-feet (350 Newton-meters) of torque. Of note, Bentley sold 12 continuation specials of the Blower in 2019.
Second to the oldest here is the Bentley Turbo R. It's powered by a turbocharged 6.8-liter V8 that's good for 302 hp (225 kW) and 487 lb-ft (660 Nm) of torque, tipping the scales at 5,401 pounds (2,450 kilograms).
The more modern Bentley performance models are led by the Continental R, powered by a turbocharged 6.75-liter V8. It churns out 420 hp (313 kW) and 649 lb-ft (880 Nm) of torque but is a bit porky at 5,291 lbs (2,400 kg).
And of course, the latest Bentley Continental GT Speed, which boasts a massive twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12 engine that puts down 659 hp (491 kW) and 664 lb-ft (900 Nm) of twists. It weighs 4,850 lbs (2,200 kg).
The more modern Continental GT Speed will definitely win this contest but how far was it compared to the older generations of Bentley performance models? The video above should answer that for you.
