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 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.
| Bentley 4 Litre | |
|---|---|
 Brooklands Motor Museum, Weybridge, Surrey | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Bentley Motors Limited |
| Production | 1931[1] 50 produced[1][2][3] |
| Assembly | Cricklewood, London |
| 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 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
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ a b 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. 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. Archived from the original on 13 April 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
- ^ a b c Culshaw, David; Horrobin, Peter (2013) [1974]. "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. No. 45823. London. 15 May 1931. p. 13.
- ^ Feast 2004, p. 52.
- ^ a b c "HISTORY OF MARQUES: BENTLEY - British". Sportscars.TV. 1964. 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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