Engineering:Bentley 4 Litre
| Bentley 4 Litre | |
|---|---|
 Brooklands Motor Museum, Weybridge, Surrey | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Bentley Motors Limited |
| Production | 1931[1] 50 produced[1][2][3] |
| Assembly | United Kingdom: Cricklewood |
| Designer |
|
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Luxury car |
| Body style | As arranged with coachbuilder by customer[4] |
| Layout | Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 3.9 L Ricardo IOE I6 |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase |
|
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Bentley Speed Six |
| Successor | Bentley 3.5 Litre |
The Bentley 4 Litre was a motor car built on rolling chassis made by Bentley Motors Limited in 1931.[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 4-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 (3,900 cc; 240 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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Lot 244: Bentley 4-Litre/8-Litre Le Mans-style Tourer". Motorbase. Hastings, UK: Classic Vehicles. 23 January 2010. http://www.motorbase.com/auctionlot/by-id/1476547385. "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."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Feast, Richard (2004). "Chapter 3: Vintage Years". The DNA of Bentley. St. Paul MN USA: MotorBooks International. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-7603-1946-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=5l0PBEg9Ta0C&q=1931+4+litre+Bentley. Retrieved 2012-03-26. "...only 50 4-litres were completed before Bentley Motors was acquired by Rolls-Royce."
- ↑ Culshaw & Horrobin 2013, p. 82.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "History By Chassis – List of all W. O. Bentleys with original chassis nos. 4 Litre". VintageBentleys.org. Houston, TX USA. https://www.vintagebentleys.org/bentley-registry/page-17.php.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Culshaw, David; Horrobin, Peter (2013). "Bentley". The Complete Catalogue of British Cars 1895 - 1975 (e-book ed.). Poundbury, Dorchester, UK: Veloce Publishing. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-845845-83-4.
- ↑ "A New Bentley.". The Times (London) (45823): p. 13. 15 May 1931.
- ↑ Feast 2004, p. 52.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "HISTORY OF MARQUES: BENTLEY - British". Sportscars.TV. 1964. https://www.sportscars.tv/Newfiles/histbentley.html. "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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