Bentley 8 litre Tourer SWB by Swallow
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Car producer : |
Bentley |
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Model: |
8 litre Tourer SWB by Swallow |
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Year: |
1930-1932 |
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Type: |
Tourer |
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. Two different compression ratios were offered, a high-compression engine with a ratio of 5.5:1 for sporting chassis and a low compression engine (5.1:1) for closed cars, with a compression plate inserted between the cylinder block and the crankcase.
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.
The chassis was 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
Neither engine nor gearbox contributed to the bracing of the chassis.
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.
Steering was by worm and sector and castor action could be adjusted to suit individual taste.
There was centralised chassis lubrication including the gaitered springs but not for the front axle or the clutch withdrawal system.
The 8-Litre chassis was available with either a 144 in (3,700 mm) wheelbase or a longer 156 in (4,000 mm) wheelbase. Three were built with a 138 in (3,500 mm) wheelbase.
The manufacturer claimed a maximum speed of approximately 125 mph (201 km/h). A speed in excess of 105 mph (169 km/h) was guaranteed by the manufacturer.
Announced on 15 September 1930 and launched at the London Olympia Motor Show in October 1930, 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.
Only 100 of these cars were made of which 35 were on the shorter wheelbase and 65 were on the longer wheelbase. Fewer than 25 were fitted with open bodies.
However, despite these indisputable qualities, and along with many of its rivals, the Bentley 8-Litre suffered from the Great Depression that followed the 1929 Crash and just 100 examples were built, making it a particularly rare model. Naturally, a technical masterpiece such as this attracted the most reputable coachbuilders, who exercised all their talent on creating bodies for the car. It was Gurney-Nutting, one of Bentley's most trusted coachbuilders along with Vanden Plas, who was responsible for the Sportsman coupé.
