Bentley 8 Litre History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
Start with a make and model. Add a year where a detailed guide is available.
Model history available. Detailed year guides are not published for this model.
Browse this model's history and yearsHistory
Announced in September 1930, the 8 Litre was the final and largest car designed by W. O. Bentley as the marque's flagship — a near-silent, 100-mph luxury chassis with a 7,983 cc inline-six, intended to rival Rolls-Royce's Phantom II.
It arrived at the worst possible time, a year into the Great Depression. Only 100 were built, and less than a year after its launch Bentley Motors went into receivership. In November 1931 Rolls-Royce — acting through a front company, the British Central Equitable Trust, to hide its identity — bought Bentley and immediately halted the 8 Litre, which it regarded as a direct Phantom II competitor. The last of the 100 cars was completed in 1932.
Body styles
- Saloon
- Tourer
- Limousine
- Coachbuilt
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Bentley 8 Litre
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.