Bentley 4 Litre
| Bentley 4 Litre | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 134 in (3,400 mm) 140 in (3,600 mm)[1][5] |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | 6½ Litre & Speed Six |
| Successor | 3½ Litre |
The Bentley 4 Litre was a
motor car built on rolling chassis made by Bentley Motors Limited.[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 (3,915 cc (238.9 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]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Lot 244: Bentley 4-Litre/8-Litre Le Mans-style Tourer". Motorbase. Hastings, UK: Classic Vehicles. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
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.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7603-1946-8. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
...only 50 4-litres were completed before Bentley Motors was acquired by Rolls-Royce.
- ^ Culshaw & Horrobin 2013, p. 82.
- ^ a b "History By Chassis – List of all W. O. Bentleys with original chassis nos. 4 Litre". VintageBentleys.Org. Houston, TX USA: VintageBentleys.org. Archived from the original on 13 April 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-845845-83-4.
- ^ OUR MOTORING CORRESPONDENT. (15 May 1931). "A New Bentley". The Times. No. 45823. London. p. 13.
- ^ Feast 2004, p. 52.
- ^ a b c "HISTORY OF MARQUES: BENTLEY - British". Sportscars.TV. 1966. Archived from the original on 6 August 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
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.
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