As the 24 Hours of Le Mans celebrated its centenary year over the weekend, many special moments from its one-hundred-year history as one of the most important occasions of the automotive calendar were recognised. One of these came from Bentley, whose most famous race car of the modern era, the 2003 Speed 8, made its return twenty years later.

It was a familiar feeling for Guy Smith, who piloted the Speed 8 chassis 004/5 – the very same car that won the race in 2003 – as part of a centenary parade on Saturday afternoon. He completed two laps of the circuit that he took the victory on two decades ago and commented:

“This car delivered Bentley’s first Le Mans victory since 1930, and became the springboard for my racing career, and so it’s incredibly special to me. While I’ve driven it a couple of times since 2003, this is the first time it’s been back to Le Mans and driving it here brought back so many memories and emotions. It feels exactly the same as it did when it crossed the line twenty years ago. Bentley is part of Le Mans, and Le Mans is part of Bentley, and it’s been an amazing weekend of celebrations of 100 years of history here.”

The Speed 8 recently enjoyed a complete rebuild to return it to its as-new standard that it enjoyed all those years ago prior to its most famous win.

This isn’t the only Bentley appearance at Le Mans this year, however, as later this month sees the return of a new Works Bentley, with a pair of Blower Continuation Series cars to compete at the Le Mans Classic. A factory-owned Blower Car Zero and a customer car will take part in the Grid 1 race, Car Zero having competed at Donington Park in April in the first of three races in Europe.

It’s an historic moment for the British brand, submitting official entries to a Le Mans race for the first time since that famous win by the Speed 8 in 2003 and the return of a Works-supported Blower to the track for the first time since 1930, when the Bentley Blower was born.

If you’re still hoping to catch a glimpse of the Speed 8 then you’re in luck as it won’t be going home any time soon. The 2003 winner will stay at the Le Mans circuit until the end of the month, before popping up at several other events. The car will then return to Bentley HQ in Crewe, where it will sit alongside other vehicles in the Heritage Collection.

The Le Mans Classic takes place from June 29th to July 2nd.

Words: Mike Booth
Pictures: Bentley