Bentley celebrates centenary year with limited-run Continental GT No.9 edition
With just 100 models being produced, the No.9 pays homage to the ‘Blower’ Bentley of the 1930s
Bentley’s headed back 90 years into the past to draw inspiration for its celebratory centenary model, revealed yesterday at the Geneva Motor Show.
The Bentley Continental GT No.9 harks back to the iconic 1930 ‘Blower’ Bentley 4 ½ litre, which competed in the 1930 24 Hours of Le Mans race. It wasn’t a race winner, but helped clear the path so that another Bentley – a Speed Six – could take the victory.
Since then, the supercharged 4 ½ litre has become one of the most recognisable classic cars of all time, mainly thanks to its supercharger mounted on the front bumper, ahead of the grille.
Built by Bentley’s coachbuilding and customisation arm Mulliner, the Continental No.9 pays homage with a choice of either Viridian Green or Beluga Black paintwork – colour-keyed on the 21-inch alloy wheels.
There’s also a carbon fibre aerodynamic pack, which admittedly is rather more modern than anything you’ll find on the classic Blower model.
Bringing things right back to the original, though, are the No.9 badges and wonderful grille graphic, which are lifted straight from the Blower.
An authentic wooden insert from the Le Mans racer sits in the dashboard of the No.9 – backlit and covered in resin for longevity.
Under the skin, the Continental GT No.9 is identical to the standard car, so it’s powered by a 6.0-litre W12 petrol engine mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive. It produces 626bhp and 900Nm of torque, which give it a top speed of 207mph and 0-60mph is dealt with in a mere 3.4 seconds.
Just 100 examples of the Continental GT No.9 will be produced, and Bentley’s not yet revealed how much the car will cost. We’d expect a price tag somewhere around £200,000.
