This Bentley Speed 8 won Le Mans, then never returned… ft:

Bentley took overall victory at Le Mans in 2003, with a car known as the Bentley Speed 8. This car though, as a really interesting story behind it though. In this video, myself and ​⁠‪@moraagp‬ will discuss the story of the Bentley Speed 8 and everything relevant to it, and how it won Le Mans then never returned...
MoraGP's Channel: / @moraagp
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At 5:50 image credit goes to DSC. Wasn’t able to put the credit in the video for that image specifically!
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#bentley #bentleycontinentalgt #bentleyspeed8 #enduranceracing #lemans #lemans24 #motorsport #24hoursoflemans #prototype #audi #audir8 #sebring #12hoursofsebring

[@moraagp]

Thanks for doing this video with me, and I hope that everyone enjoys the video!

[@FormulaJonah]

Always a pleasure. It was a great project we worked on. Can’t wait for the next one!

[@TillURide420]

You’re welcome. It’s always a great time!

[@richardcannon7327]

Hi I was one of the Designers of this car. 1998-2001 The exp speed 8 was originally a Bugatti project that used a modified Ford DFV. This car ran at a test in Monza the year before the Bentley Ran at La Sarth. Im fairly sure the photo you say is Peter Elleray is actually Gene Varnier who was head of mechanical design. We always ran at the Sebring 12hr as a first race ahead of Le Mans. This was not just in 2003.

[@FormulaJonah]

That is so cool that you were one of the designers!! Great to hear from you and thank you for providing some information about it all! Good to know about the photo that incorrectly portrayed as Peter Elleray, it was very hard to find a photo of him and the sources I had must have been mistaken, so thank you for clarifying! Thanks for watching!

[@moraagp]

Hi, the other youtuber in the video here! It's a pleasure that the video got to you, but I wanted to ask you something. You say that you ran the Sebring 12H as a first race always, but I did hours of research and there was no sign of a 2001 or 2002 entry, not even rumours, drivers or team leaders pointing at it. Did I miss something?

[@VenturiRSA]

​@@moraagphe's just talking shit. Why would the designer be here. Plus I don't even see his name anywhere

[@spacedisco612]

Why would Bugatti be using a 40 year old Ford F1 engine?

[@sepg5084]

No, i was the designer of the car 😆

[@Hunt-tq7ks]

Let's be honset here, The Speed 8 was an Audi R8 with a roof, they had Joset Racing who ran the R8s and Tom FRICKING Keistensen behind the wheel. It was all a marketing ploy by the VW Group to promote Bentley and it worked

[@fqeagles21]

Yep

[@grahamgoodwin203]

No - it wasn't, not even close

[@grahamgoodwin203]

Speak to those involved in the programme and they will tell you that the Audi R10 was closer to the Bentley than the Bentley was to any R8

[@rmamon2554]

Thanks for opening the wound that I wanted to open, after one year I get some experience in YT commenting. Rule #1 Before Posting anything look through the other comments, no reason to play the living parrot. But its funny how some drunk british beerfarts are still proud of this VW with a fancy logo. They are for sure proud owners of a B-winged Toyota.

[@JãoVitu10]

I guess it's ok to different manufacturers share parts between them abd the VW group does that pretty well. It isn't like someone would break the leg because Bentley build a car with an audi engine

[@gavalant366]

Bentley imo is just one of those brands you really can't be mad about if they win. Aside from lemans, their wins in the Paul Ricard 1000km and Bathurst 12 Hrs will always be magical.

[@rmamon2554]

The fastest lorrys the world has ever seen.

[@francescomaggi1801]

not so informed people still name this a R8 with a roof... it was much more as described in Motorsport (the magazine). I am really happy to own one of the original driver T-shirts from the team that was auctioned.

[@gentjim5007]

Saw one at road america for the international challenge vintage races. Talked to yhe crew running it. Weren't the fastest because they still had the v 230 mph gears in it for Elkhart lake. A very cool car!

[@FormulaJonah]

That is awesome! It must have been an awesome experience to see the Bentley at Elkhart Lake!

[@LagmasterB]

2003 Bentley Speed 8 and 2011/12 Audi R18 are the most beautiful prototypes for my taste.

[@redknightsr69]

One of the sexiest racing machines ever built.

[@Flying_Fetus]

It's rare to see a race car with perfect wheel fitment. The two have always been mutually exclusive.

[@Flying_Fetus]

The Audi Speed 8.

[@Calibra95]

One of the best collabs ever. Masters, great work. 🙏🙏🙏

[@phildunne7260]

Thanks FJ, either the original or a replica of the Speed 8 sits in the museum at Circuit de la Sarthe. The Bentley Continental victory at the Bathurst 12hr was a very popular one.

[@Zzrdemon6633]

Damn it sounds like you're using your real voices! Way to go putting in the effort

[@413TomaccoRoad]

I'm happy to know Sebastian Vettel tested the Penske Porsche and will be driving @ LeMans this year. No Newgarden but it's a cool development.

[@markcapilitan3484]

First Le Mans I photographed was this one, 2003. Beautiful car to photograph.

[@Audfile]

Most ominous and serious looking Le Mans car ever made.

[@Christoffski]

The first Bentley reminded me of Toyota Gt-One TS020, which reminded me of the group C Peugeot. Turns out there's good reason for that.

[@TheNenadau]

The designer!

[@Christoffski]

@@TheNenadau Correct! :) I hope in future they get credited more.

[@harleyguzz4301]

So right my friend I was there from the beginning, A lot of the designers/ engineers were at our facility in Norfolk UK which was the old Toms Toyota place. Very proud to have been part of this.

[@richardcannon7327]

The reason for the similarity is that the prototype car never raced was layed out by Tony Southgate. Who also designed the TS020… in-fact if you chopped both in half and looked at the aero shapes they are extremely close. Tony left long before Bentley joined the program.

[@peterelleray]

@@richardcannon7327 wrong toyota Richard. Tony designed the TS010, deCortanze designed the TS020..

[@bushmaster1740]

I thought 2003 was in hard rain, and Bentley used off-the-shelf Dunlops ftw

[@OneEpicEric]

I like Bentley's style. Win Le Man, disappear for 70 years, return, win Le Mans and then disappear.

[@CincySupercar]

We just want the Bolide the race for the VW group!

[@joestrickland5153]

My FAVORITE LE MANS CAR OF ALL TIME

[@comradewyvern1150]

Great video God bless!

[@halilreissedyeci1956]

jonah, i want a video about cadillac northstar lmp

[@fqeagles21]

Audi in Disguise

[@jansedlak8505]

Is it really? They shared some parts in the chassis. Engine block was similar, but Bentley's engine development was distinct. Suspension was also bespoke. Systems were probably very similar but saying that its an Audi in disguise is an oversimplification.

[@fqeagles21]

@@jansedlak8505 It Is basically VW group used It to promote Bentley

[@jansedlak8505]

@@fqeagles21 Yes, but it doesn't make it an Audi in disguise, right?

[@fqeagles21]

@@jansedlak8505 well in a certain way yes,there are a lot of videos that go deeper in that BTW

[@jansedlak8505]

@@fqeagles21 But these videos say that it shouldn't be called that way. 😐

[@dierkschurack-ye9kr]

Ein wunderschones Auto war es

[@FormulaJonah]

Indeed!

[@Bncxx1275]

Volkswagen already give them wide chance to join hypercar class As long as not ruin the money

[@321-Gone]

I'm going to guess the next video. Maserati comeback?

[@Haulinbassracing]

Lol the tamiya touring car

[@SultanNizi3000GT]

Am I the only one who prefered the Speed 8 over R8?

[@paulreilly3904]

No not at all. Lots of people really like the Speed 8. To me it looks like a squashed bug from certain angles. Don't forget 2003 was the year the current Continental GT came out so they timed it just right. It's win, in a race at Le Mans which contains multiple classes was against all the other cars in its class of course. And we all know the other car, ( singular) in the GTP class? Yes you guessed it, it was the one other Speed 8. But give it its due, it did win outright. ( Even if it is an R8 in drag, run by Joest and driven by Audi's best drivers.) 😁😉. Don't take my attitude too seriously. It has many fans for many reasons

[@somebloke2238]

No I love the speed 8. In fact I had a chance to get up close to the 2003 number 7 car last year (as incredible as you'd expect). And I'm not really a fan of the R8. Not really sure why. Maybe just cos it was too dominant, maybe I'm not a fan of open cockpit LMPs.

[@kidpagronprimsank05]

Tbf this thing is just Audi R8 bolted with roof and modified this and that

[@PineappleMelon]

Excellent video! But absolutely butchered the pronunciation of Norfolk

[@FormulaJonah]

It’s a difficult word to pronounce for me.😅Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed the video!

[@williamford9564]

13:34: BUT....that pole time was ALMOST THREE SECONDS slower than the pole time of an Audi R8 in 2002. The 2002 pole sitter, Audi Sport North America did not return to LeMans in 2003. The powerhouse 2003 American LeMans Series Audi teams, Team Joest and Champion Racing ( which the way beat the Bentley by 4 laps at Sebring) did not compete at LeMans. Was the American Joest team held back so as not to provide competition for its sister team? The competition R8s in the 2003 LeMans, Audi Sport UK and Audi Team Goh, qualified 2 1/2 to 3 seconds slower than the Bentley. These teams were much weaker sisters. Could they have also been "encouraged" to not go so hard so the sister VW brand Bentley could occupy the main stage? 13:55: Maybe the combination of these two factors is why the "Bentley was lightening fast compared to the R8s." So, Bentley wins LeMans in 2003. And then decide NOT to accept an automatic entry for 2004 and drop out of racing. In 2004, all of the sudden, Audi Sport UK FINDS THAT 2-3 SECONDS A LAP BACK! Rather strange huh. What this 2003 "victory" was was a manufactured fraud by the VW Group.

[@ragereset2795]

What a lot of conspiracy drivel. The Bentley was designed in Norfolk by Peter Elleray. It initially had a stock R8 engine paired to a custom Xtrac gearbox because they ditched the Ricardo unit. They also went for Dunlop over Michelin. Then the engine was modified to 4 litres, the body was redesigned and they went back on Michelins. All simply the normal evolution of a prototype. It was a three year program, they chased the Audis for two years and then won it in the third year. Nobody was told to slow down or favour another car, that's completely absurd. Stop making things up because you think they sound cool.

[@Vermiliontea]

It's not the car, silly. 😑 It's the Tom Kristensen. 😑

[@rocketman1058]

first and foremost, Audi just backed off in the race to allow Bentley to grab the win and fuck off, that was the deal. I watched it live. secondly, the 2003 Bentley got the front of the car copied from Peugeot 905 Evo2 though. Regardless of what you're saying, if it was full battle with no concessions from Audi in terms of drivers and pace in the race, I doubt Bentely would have won it.

[@rogerrolex6981]

Audi Bentley same company VW group

[@officialjulesy]

HYPERCAR can be so much more, sucks manufactures back out due to either “financial” reasons or because they wanna “dIvErT fOcUs AnD rEsOuRcEs”

[@Hydrosized]

Audi speed 8

[@Mad_Martigen]

The 2003 Bentley Speed 8 is my all-time most favorite race car. It's beautiful.

[@douglasernst9477]

To me. The Speed 8 was and is the absolutely most beautiful car ever produced. Add the fact that it crushed the competition at LeMans… it has every right to boast and be recognized as a piece of art and a technological masterpiece! I remember watching that race on tv. When I first saw the speed 8 and the Bentley name I was very excited to see what it would deliver. Having been a fan of Bentley since as a youngster I loved the British tv show “the Avengers”. Yes I am that old

[@Diego-gx1zn]

jonah for me personally, it is a pity that Bentley has not considered building a car to compete again for the overall victory and that their cars in competition have proven to be very competitive, not only the Speed 8 but also the continental gt3.

[@FormulaJonah]

I agree with you!

[@groundzerokc4030]

@@FormulaJonah What's your opinion on the Continental GT3 program? Many suggested that it was not a good car and only performed well due to very favorable BoP. Would love to learn more about bentley's motorsports programs!

[@abyss18]

@@groundzerokc4030’favourable BoP’ la la la la la la. people always hate the winners don’t they

[@Calibra95]

It's a shame that Bentley isn't racing now. A prototype return would be cool, even thinking that Joest is free now.

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Nice video. Really learned quiet a lot about a car I only saw in Gran Turismo. Nice collaboration. Keep up the good work.

[@TreyVaswal]

Most beautiful Le Mans car ever.

[@FormulaJonah]

It sure is! Lovely car

[@Shwnm1490]

I argue the ferrari p3 and p4/330 are the more beautiful race cars

[@OneEpicEric]

The green colour adds something to it's beauty

[@FriendlyMissileInc.-sw4vt]

Their win was just a marketing stunt for the launch of their new model in 2003

[@jojo_thefox]

It's an Audi....

[@explosivehotdogs]

And it has a large resemblance to the the Toyota GT One. So?

[@OneEpicEric]

How was it faster than the Audi if it was the same

[@deeacosta2734]

So are the Bentley’s in the dealership. Doesn’t mean it didn’t win and it isn’t beautiful.

[@durodesduvo8424]

Its a nice feeling when the most beautiful car is the one that wins.

[@Jackson-jk9ff]

Honestly, one of the few channels ive watched one video an immediatly sibscribed! Keep going man! Awesome content! Love those 90/00 cars ❤

[@RV-jq5pb]

They were lighting fast against competition which they also owned. This is like professional wrestling.