Actor and all-around badass Idris Elba now has yet another title under his belt. You might know him best for roles in “The Wire” and “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” but Elba is taking his talents to the streets in a new series for the Discovery Channel, “Idris Elba: No Limits.” Teamed up with Bentley, he tackled the land speed record set by Sir Malcolm Campbell in 1927. At Pendine Sands in Wales, Elba reached a top speed of 180.361 mph in a Bentley Continental GT, effectively ousting Campbell as the UK land speed record-holder, previously set at 174.8 mph.
And while Elba’s efforts were undoubtedly impressive, so was his whip. The GT is equipped with a ZF eight-speed, close-ratio automatic transmission, plus its standard twin-turbo W12 engine that can slam from zero to 60 in just four seconds. All the proof we need that he’s up to the James Bond challenge.
Photos by Bentley