1931 Bentley 8-Litre Le Mans-Style Tourer
Only 100 examples left Cricklewood before bankruptcy overtook the original Bentley company in 1931. The 8-Litre debuted at the 1930 London Motor Show as the largest-engined car produced in the UK at the time, with a chassis price of £1,850 placing it in direct competition with the Rolls-Royce Phantom II.
W.O. Bentley’s advertising boldly claimed “100mph without noise,” and The Autocar proved it, recording 101.12 mph in December 1930. This remained the fastest production Bentley until the arrival of the R-Type Continental in the early 1950s.
The massive double-drop chassis frame featured seven tubular cross members for rigidity and was available in 12-foot or 13-foot wheelbases (144 or 156 inches).
A spiral-bevel rear axle was used, and the revised suspension incorporated longer road springs, out-rigged at the rear, with Bentley & Draper shock absorbers.
W.O. Bentley enlarged the proven 6½-Litre engine by increasing the bore size from 100 mm to 110 mm rather than extracting more power through higher stress. The new F-type gearbox was redesigned to handle the greatly increased power and torque while maintaining near-silent operation.
Even burdened with weighty formal coachwork, the 8-Litre proved fully capable of exceeding 100 mph, cementing its reputation as one of the most refined high-speed touring cars of its era.
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