The Bentley Continental GT has broken the record for production cars at the Pikes Peak hill climb in Colorado, setting a time of 10m 18.4s at the hands of former King of the Mountain Rhys Millen.

The mechanically-standard Conti, in full-fat W12 form, took 8.4 seconds off the previous record and set an average speed of 70mph across the 12.4-mile course, despite the week leading up to the run being plagued with rain and snow.

There are 156 bends to negotiate at Pikes Peak along with the 5,000ft climb. The finish line sits a whopping 14,100ft above sea level too, where the air is 1/3 less dense and internal combustion engines usually struggle.

That’s part of the reason why the electric Volkswagen ID. R took the outright title in 2018 with an eye-popping time of 7m 57.1s, so it may not be long before the production EVs come for Bentley’s crown.

The record is currently Bentley’s second at Pikes Peak though, after the Bentayga set a time of 10m 49.9s – the fastest for production SUVs – in 2018. Bravo to all involved.

Unfortunately, the Pikes Peak weekend didn’t pass without tragedy, as four-time motorcycle winner Carlin Dunne, 36, was killed in a crash while riding his Ducati Streetfighter V4 Prototype. The thoughts of everyone at TG.com are with his friends and family.