Bentley icons old and new set for Goodwood Festival of Speed

Bentley will be bringing new and veteran cars to the Goodwood Festival of Speed set for June 26 through 29 this year, including a pair of historic Le Mans cars. The popular event has become a world stage for automakers over the last few years, but few marques have as much history to show off during the four days of the event as Bentley.

For starters, the new Continental GT V8 S will be making its first appearance at Goodwood in the Supercar paddock. Equipped with a twin-turbo 4.0-liter engine, the GT is capable of 192 mph and a 0 to 60 sprint of just 4.3 seconds. The Flying Spur V8 sedan will also be on hand, equipped with the same 4.0-liter V8 engine that makes it one of the fastest production sedans in the world.

But when it comes to V8-engined cars from Crewe, these two are merely roadgoing versions of the full-fledged beast that is the 600-hp Continental GT3 powered by a version of the same 4.0-liter V8 engine. And the GT3 will be making a few runs on Goodwood's famous hill during the three-day event, as a preview of Bentley's return to top-level motorsport in the Blancpain Endurance Series this summer.

Bentley
"Old Number One" parades at Le Mans in 1930, with Kidston and Barnato in the cockpit.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed woudn't have the following that it enjoys without appearances by past masters, and the crew from Crewe will be bringing several living legends to the grounds of the Goodwood House at the country estate of the Earl of March in Sussex. "Old Number 1," one of the original Speed Six Bentleys with wins at Le Mans and Brooklands to its name will be on hand. The legendary car that was piloted by Woolf Barnato and Henry "Tim" Birkin at Le Mans will be joined by two more Speed Six Bentleys, "Old Number 2" and "Old Number 3," which also ran in the 1930 edition of Le Mans. These are almost never seen together, and the appearance of all three cars at Goodwood this year will be a very special reunion for these old war horses.

We'll be covering the Goodwood Festival of Speed in detail, as always, and we'll be bringing you more news regarding planned debuts in the coming days and weeks.

By Jay Ramey