The thought of driving a Bentley over Austrian mountain passes is one I bet is on many people’s bucket lists, and some lucky folks got to live it just this week. Bentley took to Mankei, FAT International’s base on Austria’s Grossglockner High Alpine Road, sitting 2,262 metres above sea level for a product reveal, and the rest stop that sits midway along one of Europe’s best-known driving roads seemed like the perfect setting.
It was the third joint event between Bentley and FAT this year, following ice race activations in Zell am See and Montana. More activations are planned for 2027, suggesting the partnership is now a fixed part of Bentley’s event calendar rather than a one-off.
On the terrace outside the café, two very different Bentleys sat side by side: the 2003 Le Mans-winning Speed 8 (chassis 004/5) and the Bentayga X Concept. The Speed 8 represents Bentley’s competition history; the X Concept is a design study exploring a more capable off-road Bentayga. Bentley has not confirmed production plans, but describes it as a way to gather feedback on what an enhanced off-road model might look like.
For the first time, all three of Bentley’s Pikes Peak record cars were shown together. The 1,000 bhp 2018 Pikes Peak Continental GT3, on loan from its private owner, sat next to the Speed 8, putting modern hillclimb hardware alongside Le Mans prototype machinery. The Pikes Peak Bentayga, which set the production SUV record in 2018, and the Pikes Peak Continental GT, which broke the production class outright record in 2019, were both used on the road during the event. Guests and passing enthusiasts could take passenger rides through the Grossglockner’s sweeping bends and tight switchbacks: the kind of driving the cars were built to handle, even if most owners will never see altitude like this.
Elsewhere on site, Bentley’s Joe & The Juice Bentayga (a pink, coffee-service vehicle built for its partnership with the Danish chain) served espresso from the back of the SUV. The Mankei café handled food for guests and anyone stopping along the route.
There was no new model announcement, no pricing, and no technical briefing buried in the day’s schedule. What Bentley did instead was use a high profile location, its competition history, and a set of record holding cars to keep the brand visible between product cycles. Nice.
For us enthusiasts, the gathering of all three Pikes Peak cars in a place like this is the headline. For Bentley, the Grossglockner setting, with the thin air, long sight lines, and a road built for driving makes the press material look gorgeous and relevant. For a brand playing in this echelon, and with this level of prestige, that combination is enough to keep us yearning.
