Bentley and Kankunnen Gives Goodwood Crowds Something to Remember

First it was a high speed run on ice. Now, Bentley is once again stunning the world – but this time by running up a famous hill.

The latest Bentley record breaking run began when four-time world rally champion Juha Kankunnen set a new world record by traversing a 70cm-thick layer of Baltic Sea ice, off the coast of Finland a few months ago. What was amazing about this feat? He did it in the all-wheel drive Continental Supersports convertible.

The muscular 6.0 liter, 12-cylinder Bentley, with its distinctive black and bright red livery, attracted attention once again during this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. Reunited with his record-breaking Bentley Continental Supersports convertible, Kankunnen gave the large crowds something to remember.

“Driving this very special Bentley Continental in front of the packed Goodwood grandstands was a special experience for me,” Kankunnen explained.

Although Goodwood’s famous Hill Climb didn’t present Kankunnen with the same level of difficulty as the ice track, it didn’t stop him from delivering extremely fast runs with the 631HP Supersports.

“Driving on a frozen sea was a unique challenge and only a few Bentley engineers and my support crew were there to witness the new world record. So it was a pleasure to provide a glimpse of the capabilities of this Bentley to a huge audience of motorsport enthusiasts on a beautiful summer’s day,” added Kankunnen.

While some may wonder why this hill climb was so important to Bentley, the company’s roots can be traced back to one such event. In 1912, company founder W.O. Bentley and his brother decided to try their hand at this burgeoning sport. On his first run in the Aston-Clinton hill-climb, W.O. broke the class record – with his wife Leonie in the passenger seat. That win helped fuel his competitive juices and plunge him into the world of high performance automobiles.

So it’s only natural that a Bentley would once again rule the road, up a hill. The world’s fastest production convertible road car now has proven its agility and speed on land and ice all while maintaining its luxury and class upholding Bentley’s reputation of delivering a first-class experience – as well as its storied history.