Last month's LA Auto Show played host to a number of fresh new vehicles and potential future classics, the most specialised and intriguing of which was the Bentley Continental GT3.

The Bentley Continental range began life in 1952 and it was intended to be defined by models with better performance capabilities than the firm's standard cars.

In the 1980 and 90s, the Continental family came into its own, with the post-millennial Continental GT becoming a favourite of the rich and the famous over the last decade.

The GT3 iteration is a race-oriented example which takes the underpinnings of Bentley's fastest ever road legal vehicle and turns everything up to 11.

As well as wowing crowds at the LA Auto Show, it has appeared at the Paris Motor Show, to give Europeans a chance to see it in the flesh.

It will not be until the autumn of 2013 that the Continental GT3 actually gets put through its paces on the track.

However, classic car enthusiasts can experience the thrill of owning a vintage Bentley Continental of their own, providing you have the bank balance to take into account its premium status and strong residual value.