Bentley 8 Litre

Bentley 8 Litre chassis
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
Assembly	Cricklewood, London
Designer	W. O. Bentley
Body and chassis
Class	Luxury car
Body style	purchaser to arrange with own coachbuilder
Layout	FR layout
Related	Bentley 4-Litre (economy version)
Powertrain
Engine	SOHC 8 L I6
Transmission	Manual gearbox, 4-speeds and reverse Single-dry-plate clutch Hypoid bevel final drive
Dimensions
Wheelbase	138 in (3,505 mm) (3 only) 144 in (3,658 mm) 156 in (3,962 mm)
Length	(12') 201.25 in (5,112 mm) (13') 213.25 in (5,417 mm)
Width	68.5 in (1,740 mm)
Height	depending on coachwork
Kerb weight	2.5 tonnes or more, depending on coachwork

Bentley 8-litre engine
Overview
Production	1930–1932
Combustion chamber
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 alloy	cast iron monobloc with elektron crankcase
Cylinder head alloy	non-detachable – see block
Valvetrain	single overhead camshaft driven by patented triple connecting rods; 4-valves-per-cylinder
Compression ratio	5:1
Combustion
Fuel system	Autovac fuel lifter Twin SU carburettors Twin-spark magneto & coil
Fuel type	petrol
Cooling system	Water-cooled, with pump, fan and thermostatically-controlled shutters
Output
Power output	220 bhp (160 kW; 220 PS) @3,300rpm Tax rating 44.9 hp

The Bentley 8 Litre was a luxury car based on the largest rolling chassis made 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; a 4-Litre engine in a shortened chassis was announced on 15 May 1931. Intended to provide the basis for a super-luxury car for very wealthy buyers, the 8 Litre chassis was introduced a year into the Great Depression. Sales of the 8-litre were too slow to turn the company's finances around and, less than nine months after the 8-litre's introduction, Bentley Motors was placed into receivership.

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 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. The engine had a bore of 110 mm (4.3 in) and a stroke of 140 mm (5.5 in), giving a capacity of 7,983 cc (487.2 cu in). Pistons were of an aluminium alloy.

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

An entirely new design of four-speed gearbox provided four speeds (constant mesh third) and reverse 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.