Carwow’s latest incursion in the infinite realm of car comparison sees it pit a road-going Bentley Continental GT Speed ‘Le Mans Edition’ up against a true racecar, the Bentley Speed 8, which scored a Le Mans victory 20 years ago.
The difference is evident in the pricing: while the Continental coupe starts from roughly £330,000 (U.S. $400,000), the racer is tentatively estimated at £15,000,000 (over $18,000,000).
The GT Speed utilizes a 6.0-liter W12 with 660 PS (651 hp / 485 kW) and 900 Nm (664 lb-ft) of torque at its disposal. An eight-speed automatic transmission drives all four wheels.
The racer relies on a 4.0-liter V8 rated close to 600 PS (592 hp / 441 kW), but it is almost featherweight at 905 kilos (1,995 lbs). The road car weighs 2,198 kg (4,845 lbs).
During a half-mile race with a rolling start from 80 km/h (50 mph), the Bentley Speed 8 had no trouble showing the coupe its taillights. The driver demanded a rematch and tried to start in a lower gear, but to the same result. The third race had a rolling start from 65 km/h (40 mph) and the same winner. In the end, the GT Speed driver asked for a small headway and barely managed to outrun the racecar at a quarter-mile distance, only to fall behind shortly afterwards.