Bentley 4 Litre | |
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Overview | |
Manufacturer | Bentley Motors Limited |
Production | 1931 [1] 50 produced [1] [2] [3] |
Assembly | Cricklewood, London |
Designer | |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Luxury car |
Body style | As arranged with coachbuilder by customer [4] |
Layout | Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 3.9 L Ricardo IOE I6 |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase |
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Chronology | |
Predecessor | Bentley Speed Six |
Successor | Bentley 3.5 Litre |
The Bentley 4 Litre was a motor car built on rolling chassis made by Bentley Motors Limited in 1931. [4] The 4-litre chassis was conceived and built in a failed attempt to restore Bentley to a good financial state. Announced 15 May 1931, [6] it used a modified four litre Ricardo IOE engine in a shortened 8 Litre chassis at two-thirds of the price of the 8 Litre in an attempt to compete with the Rolls-Royce 20/25. [1] [7] Instead, Bentley went into receivership shortly afterward, from which it was purchased by Rolls-Royce Limited.
The conventional straight-6 engine used an 85 mm (3.3 in) bore and a 115 mm (4.5 in) stroke for a total displacement of 3.9 L (3,900 cc; 240 cu in) [5] [8] and a power output of 120 bhp (89 kW) at 4,000 rpm. [1] [5] [8] The engine power was not suitable for the heavy chassis. [1] [2] [8]
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A double-drop chassis was adopted, closely based on that of the contemporary Bentley 8-Litre, and offered in two wheelbase lengths: 11' 2" and 11' 8", both of which were shorter than the shortest of the two 8-Litre chassis available.
...only 50 4-litres were completed before Bentley Motors was acquired by Rolls-Royce.
There was nothing to compalin about in the engine design, but unfortunately the very heavy 8-litre chassis was used and this resulted in a rather dull and slow car.