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It is no exaggeration to describe the 2003 Bentley Speed 8 as a new car. Though the previous two generations of Speed 8 performed spectacularly well, returning Bentley to the Le Mans podium in 2003, it was felt that for the final year of the three year program, a fresh approach was required. Clearly the car still features enclosed bodywork meaning it remained in a class of its own and the engine retained its basic architecture, 4 litre capacity, direct fuel injection and twin turbochargers. In all other significant respects it has a new design from the ground up. The concept driving the design was to ensure much better exploitation of the airflow over the body and particularly to the rear wing. To achieve this, the external cockpit area was much reduced, though the car is actually more spacious inside, making a smaller hole in the air and allowing the car to use a much smaller, more aerodynamic engine cover. The 2003 Bentley Speed 8 won the 2003 24 Hours in Le Mans in dominating fashion, beating the previous champion Audi. Guy Smith drove the number 7 Bentley Speed 8 across the line, and David Brabham followed up in 2nd place in the sister number 8 car. This gave Bentley their first victory at Le Mans in 73 years, and their 6th victory overall.
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