Bentley 8 Litre

Last updated

Bentley 8 Litre chassis
Bentley 8-Litre Weymann saloon by Mulliner 5577867444 (cropped).jpg
Weymann saloon by Mulliner the second car made and
W. O. Bentley's personal transport
Overview
Manufacturer Bentley Motors Limited
Production
  • 1930–1932
  • 100 produced
AssemblyCricklewood, London
Designer W. O. Bentley
Body and chassis
Class Luxury car
Body style purchaser to arrange with own coachbuilder [1]
Layout FR layout [2]
Related Bentley 4-Litre (economy version)
Powertrain
Engine SOHC 8 L I6 [3]
Transmission
  • Manual gearbox, 4-speeds and reverse
  • Single-dry-plate clutch
  • Hypoid bevel final drive
[4]
Dimensions
Wheelbase
  • 138 in (3,505 mm) [5] (3 only)
  • 134 in (3,404 mm) [2]
  • 140 in (3,556 mm) [2]
Length
  • 201.25 in (5,112 mm)
  • 213.25 in (5,417 mm)
Width68.5 in (1,740 mm) [2]
Heightdepending on coachwork
Kerb weight 2.5 tonnes (5500 lb.) or more, depending on coachwork
Bentley 8-litre engine
Bentley 8 Litre saloon by Mulliner 1931 f3q 640 by 480.JPG
Overview
Production1930–1932
Layout
Configuration 6-cylinder in-line
Displacement 7,983 cubic centimetres (487 cu in)
Cylinder bore 110 mm (4.3 in)
Piston stroke 140 mm (5.5 in)
Cylinder block material
Cylinder head materialnon-detachable – see block
Valvetrain single overhead camshaft driven by patented triple connecting rods; 4-valves-per-cylinder [3]
Compression ratio 5:1
Combustion
Fuel system [3]
Fuel typepetrol
Cooling system Water-cooled, with pump, fan and thermostatically-controlled shutters [3]
Output
Power output
  • 220 bhp (160 kW; 220 PS) @3,300rpm
  • Tax rating 44.9 hp [6]

The Bentley 8 Litre was a large inline 6-cylinder super-luxury car made in various configurations by Bentley Motors Limited at Cricklewood, London. Announced 15 September 1930, it was also the last completely new model by Bentley before the company's financial collapse and forced sale to Rolls-Royce Limited.

Contents

A Bentley 4 Litre featuring a 4-Litre Inline-6 engine in a shortened chassis was announced on 15 May 1931.

Introduced a year into the Great Depression, the 8-litre and its smaller 4-litre sibling were unable to turn the company's finances around. Less than nine months after the 8-litre's introduction, Bentley Motors was placed into receivership.

Design and specifications

Engine

The straight-six engine used a one-piece iron block and non-detachable cylinder head with a crankcase made from Elektron, a magnesium alloy. It featured an overhead camshaft driven by a Bentley patented "three-throw drive" system of triple connecting rods [4] [7] with, like all earlier Bentleys, four valves per cylinder and twin-spark ignition (coil and magneto), which were state-of-the-art at the time. [5] [8] The engine had a bore of 110 mm (4.3 in) and a stroke of 140 mm (5.5 in), [3] [9] giving a capacity of 7,983 cc (487.2 cu in). [3] [10] [9] Pistons were of an aluminium alloy. [11]

Both engine and gearbox were mounted each at three points on rubber to isolate the chassis and body from vibration. [11]

Transmission

An entirely new design of four-speed gearbox provided four speeds (constant mesh third) and reverse [3] [12] with a single-plate dry clutch which sent power through a hypoid bevel final drive to the rear axle and its 21" Rudge-Whitworth wire centre-lock wheels. [3]

Chassis

The 8 Litre was built on Bentley's largest rolling chassis, a ladder frame with large tubular steel cross-members downswept from the front and rear axles towards the centre to lower the centre of gravity. [3]

Neither engine nor gearbox contributed to the bracing of the chassis. [3]

Suspension by long semi-elliptic leaf springs was controlled by double acting dampers, friction on the front and hydraulic on the rear axle, and all four wheels were fitted with Dewandre vacuum-servo-assisted 400 mm (15.7 in) drum brakes, the forward brakes being of Bentley-Perrott design. [11]

Steering was by worm and sector and castor action could be adjusted to suit individual taste. [3]

There was centralised chassis lubrication [3] [13] including the gaitered springs but not for the front axle or the clutch withdrawal system. [3]

The 8-Litre chassis was available with either a 144-inch (3,700 mm)  wheelbase or a longer 156-inch (4,000 mm) wheelbase. [3] [13] Three were built with a 138-inch (3,500 mm) wheelbase.[ citation needed ]

The manufacturer claimed a maximum speed of approximately 125 mph (201 km/h). [5] A speed in excess of 105 mph (169 km/h) was guaranteed by the manufacturer. [3]

Reception

Weymann saloon by H. J. Mulliner YF5001: the first 8 Litre made; built for entertainer Jack Buchanan. Bentley 8 Litre limousine by Mulliner 1930 side.jpg
Weymann saloon by H. J. Mulliner YF5001: the first 8 Litre made; built for entertainer Jack Buchanan.

Announced on 15 September 1930 [4] and launched at the London Olympia Motor Show in October 1930, [3] the 8 Litre Bentley was noted for its tractability and smoothness; it could be driven from walking pace to highway speeds in top gear without effort. [13] [9]

As a result of the worldwide Great Depression, the 8 Litre did not sell well enough to improve Bentley's financial situation. [12] [9] The chassis was priced at £1,850, [3] roughly equivalent to £293,000 in 2010. [15]

Only 100 of these cars were made, [5] [13] of which 35 were on the shorter wheelbase. [13] Fewer than 25 were fitted with open bodies. It is suggested that the cost of the development of the car was a prime reason for Bentley Motors going bankrupt. [16]

Bentley made one more attempt at financial recovery by installing modified Ricardo 4-litre engines in a shortened 8-Litre chassis and selling the result as the Bentley 4 Litre. [17] [18] Announced on 15 May 1931, [19] only 50 were made before Bentley Motors Ltd. was placed into receivership. [17]

When Rolls-Royce bought Bentley Motors from the receiver [20] in November 1931, [21] it discontinued production of the 8-Litre [13] [12] and disposed of all spare parts for it.[ citation needed ]

Legacy

Saloon rebodied with a replica tourer body Bentley-8-litre-2-2.jpg
Saloon rebodied with a replica tourer body

Seventy-eight Bentley 8 Litre cars were known to survive as at mid-2011. [22] Many of these have had their original limousine or saloon bodies replaced by new replica tourer bodies. [23] As a result, Bentley 8 Litres with original bodies are much sought after by collectors.[ citation needed ]

The only Bentley 8 Litre with an American body, which was also the first Bentley with an all-metal body, was built by the W.M. Murphy Company of Pasadena for a customer in Santa Barbara, California. [24]

McKenzie's Garages, a specialist in Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars, modified four 8 Litres in the 1930s: YM5050 (with a shortened chassis, lowered radiator and bulkhead, and triple SU carburettors); [25] YR5083 (with a higher-ratio rear axle and triple SU carburettors); [26] YX5117 (with a lowered and shortened chassis and triple SU carburettors); [27] and YX5121 (with a shortened and lowered chassis and a tuned engine) [28]

Notes

  1. History By Chassis – List of all W. O. Bentleys with original chassis nos. 8 Litre
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Bentley Motors Limited. Display Advertising". The Times. No. 45823. London. 15 May 1931. p. 11.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "A Great British Car the 8-lire Bentley". The Observer. London UK. 25 January 1931. p. 26.
  4. 1 2 3 "Cars of 1931. (FROM OUR MOTORING CORRESPONDENT). The New Bentley, Silence and Vibration Studied". The Times. No. 45618. London. 15 September 1930. p. 7.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Eybl 2001, pp. 192–197.
  6. RAC Rating
  7. Brooks 2009, pp. 27, 32.
  8. Robson 1990, pp. 24, 27.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Posthumus 1977, p. 115.
  10. Robson 1990, p. 24.
  11. 1 2 3 "Cars of To-Day. (OUR MOTORING CORRESPONDENT). Eight-litre Bentley". The Times. No. 45691. London. 9 December 1930. p. 19.
  12. 1 2 3 Robson 1990, p. 27.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brooks 2009, p. 32.
  14. "1931 Bentley 8 Litre Chassis No. YF5001 Engine No. YF5001 Registration No. GK 672". Vintage Bentleys .org. Vintage Bentleys .org. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  15. Measuring Worth
  16. 1930→1932 Bentley 8 Litre - Super cats.com(02/03/2020)
  17. 1 2 Lot 244: Bentley 4-Litre/8-Litre Le Mans-style Tourer, Motorbase
  18. HISTORY OF MARQUES: BENTLEY – British, Sportscars.TV
  19. OUR MOTORING CORRESPONDENT. (15 May 1931). "A New Bentley". The Times. No. 45823. London. p. 13.{{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  20. Feast 2004, pp. 64–65.
  21. King 2008, p. 17.
  22. Johnson 2011, p. 11.
  23. Buckley 2004, pp. 42–43.
  24. 1931 Bentley 8-Liter, Conceptcarz
  25. Hay 2011, pp. 204–206.
  26. Hay 2011, p. 128.
  27. Hay 2011, pp. 231–235.
  28. 1931 Bentley 8 Litre Chassis No. YX5121 Engine No. YX5122 Registration no. GW 2926, Vintage Bentleys .org

Related Research Articles

Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North London, and became widely known for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930. Bentley has been a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group since 1998 and consolidated under VW's premium brand arm Audi since 2022.

The Princess is a badge engineered variant of the Austin A99 Westminster, manufactured by BMC from 1959 to 1968 and marketed under the Vanden Plas marque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley Arnage</span> British luxury car

The Bentley Arnage is a full-size luxury car manufactured by Bentley Motors in Crewe, England, from 1998 to 2010. The Arnage and its Rolls-Royce-branded sibling, the Silver Seraph, were introduced in the spring of 1998. They were the first entirely new designs for the two marques since 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W. O. Bentley</span> English engineer (1888–1971)

Walter Owen Bentley, was an English engineer who founded Bentley in London. He was a motorcycle and car racer as a young man. After making a name for himself as a designer of aircraft and automobile engines, Bentley established his own firm in 1919. He built the firm into one of the world's premier luxury and performance auto manufacturers, and led the marque to multiple victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After selling his namesake company to Rolls-Royce in 1931, he was employed as a designer for Lagonda, Aston Martin and Armstrong Siddeley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn</span> Motor vehicle

The Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn is a full-size luxury car that was produced by Rolls-Royce at their Crewe works between 1949 and 1955. It was the first Rolls-Royce car to be offered with a factory built body which it shared, along with its chassis, with the Bentley Mark VI until 1952 and then the Bentley R Type until production finished in 1955. The car was first introduced as an export only model. The left hand drive manual transmission models had a column gear change, while right hand drives had a floor change by the door. In the British home market the Silver Dawn only became available from October 1953, with the introduction of the model corresponding to the Bentley R Type.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley S1</span> Motor vehicle

The Bentley S1 was a luxury car produced by Bentley Motors Limited from 1955 until 1959. The S1 was derived from Rolls-Royce's complete redesign of its standard production car after World War II, the Silver Cloud. Each was its maker's last standard production car with an independent chassis. The S-series Bentley was given the Rolls-Royce - Bentley L Series V8 engine in late 1959 and named the S2. Twin headlamps and a facelift to the front arrived in late 1962, resulting in the S3. In late 1965, the S3 was replaced by the new unitary construction Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow-derived T series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire (motor car)</span> Motor vehicle

The Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire is a large automobile which was produced by the British company, Armstrong Siddeley Motors Limited, from 1952 to 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley Mark VI</span> Motor vehicle

The Bentley Mark VI is an automobile from Bentley which was produced from 1946 until 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith</span> Motor vehicle

The Silver Wraith was the first post-war Rolls-Royce. It was made from 1946 to 1958 as only a chassis at the company's Crewe factory, its former Merlin engine plant, alongside the shorter Bentley Mark VI. The Bentley was also available as a chassis for coachbuilders, but for the first time could be bought with a Rolls-Royce built Standard Steel body. The use of the name "wraith" coincided with the established tradition of naming models after "ghosts".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Phantom I</span> Ultra-luxury flagship automobile in its first generation

The Rolls-Royce Phantom was Rolls-Royce's replacement for the original Silver Ghost. Introduced as the New Phantom in 1925, the Phantom had a larger engine than the Silver Ghost and used pushrod-operated overhead valves instead of the Silver Ghost's side valves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce Phantom II</span> Ultra-luxury flagship automobile in its second generation

The Rolls-Royce Phantom II was the third and last of Rolls-Royce's 40/50 hp models, replacing the New Phantom in 1929. It used an improved version of the New Phantom engine in an all-new chassis. A "Continental" version, with a short wheelbase and stiffer springs, was offered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley 3 Litre</span> Motor vehicle

The Bentley 3 Litre was a car chassis manufactured by Bentley. The company's first, it was developed from 1919 and made available to customers' coachbuilders from 1921 to 1929. The Bentley was very much larger than the 1368 cc Bugattis that dominated racing at the time, but double the size of engine and strength compensated for the extra weight. The 4000 lb (1800 kg) car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924, with drivers John Duff and Frank Clement, and again in 1927, this time in Super Sports form, with drivers S. C. H. "Sammy" Davis and Dudley Benjafield. Its weight, size, and speed prompted Ettore Bugatti to call it "the fastest lorry in the world", which was regarded as a compliment. Built in 3 main variants, Blue label, Red Label Speed models all carrying a 5-year warranty, and the coveted and rare Green Label 100 mph cars, which only carried a 12-month warranty reflecting the high state of tune.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley 4½ Litre</span> Motor vehicle

The Bentley 4½ Litre is a British car based on a rolling chassis built by Bentley Motors. Walter Owen Bentley replaced the Bentley 3 Litre with a more powerful car by increasing its engine displacement to 4.4 litres. A racing variant was known as the Blower Bentley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley Speed Six</span> Motor vehicle

The Bentley 6½ Litre and the high-performance Bentley Speed Six were rolling chassis produced by Bentley from 1926 to 1930. The Speed Six, introduced in 1928, became the most successful racing Bentley. Two Bentley Speed Sixes became known as the Blue Train Bentleys after their owner Woolf Barnato raced the Blue Train in 1930.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley 4 Litre</span> Motor vehicle

The Bentley 4 Litre was a motor car built on rolling chassis made by Bentley Motors Limited in 1931. The 4-litre chassis was conceived and built in a failed attempt to restore Bentley to a good financial state. Announced 15 May 1931, 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. Instead, Bentley went into receivership shortly afterward, from which it was purchased by Rolls-Royce Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley 3.5 Litre</span> Motor vehicle

The Bentley 3½ Litre was a luxury car produced by Bentley from 1933 to 1939. It was presented to the public in September 1933, shortly after the death of Henry Royce, and was the first new Bentley model following Rolls-Royce's acquisition of the Bentley brand in 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bentley Mark V</span> Motor vehicle

The Bentley Mark V was Rolls-Royce's second Bentley model. Intended for announcement at the Earl's Court Motor Show set down for late October 1939 it had much in common with its predecessor. War was declared on 3 September 1939 and a few days later Bentley announced it had ceased production of civilian items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce 20/25</span> Motor vehicle

The Rolls-Royce 20/25 is the second of Rolls-Royce Limited's inter-war entry-level models. Built between 1929 and 1936, it was very popular, becoming the most successful selling inter-war Rolls-Royce. Its success enabled Rolls-Royce to survive the Great Depression, and remain one of World's great brands. 3,827 20/25s were produced, and more than 70% of these survive in use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce 30 hp</span> Motor vehicle

The Rolls-Royce 30 hp was one of four cars to be produced as a result of an agreement of 23 December 1904 between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Badged as a Rolls-Royce, the 30 hp was produced during 1905 and 1906 by Royce's company, Royce Ltd. at its factory in Cooke Street, Hulme, Manchester. It was sold exclusively by Rolls' motor dealership, C.S.Rolls & Co., at a price of GBP 890. The engine was exhibited at the Paris Salon in December 1904, along with the 10 hp, 15 hp and 20 hp models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daimler Double-Six sleeve-valve V12</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Daimler Double-Six sleeve-valve V12 was a piston engine manufactured by The Daimler Company Limited of Coventry, England between 1926 and 1938. It was offered in four different sizes for their flagship cars.

References