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1932 Bentley 8 Litre Saloon by Arthur Mulliner

4,614 views · Published 22 September 2013 · 2:45 · Indexed 22 October 2026

Channel: Cars & Travels ! - REMROB · 2013 · Autos & Vehicles

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1932 Bentley 8-Litre Saloon by Arthur Mulliner
Sold for $825,000 Including Commission
RM Auction, Monterey, CA 2013
Chassis no. YX 5105
Engine no. YX 5105
220 bhp, 7,983 cc overhead-cam inline six-cylinder engine with dual SU carburetors, four-speed manual gearbox, live front and rear axles with semi-elliptic leaf springs and friction dampers, and Dewandre vacuum servo-assisted four-wheel drum brakes. Wheelbase: 156 in.

•A pure example, retaining its original chassis, engine, and body
•The ninety-ninth of one hundred 8-Litre Bentleys constructed
•A wonderful closed example for show or comfortable touring


After the First World War, in a small office on Conduit Street, W.O. Bentley began designing a new engine. He recruited F.T. Burgess from Humber and Harry Varley from Vauxhall. By September 1919, the design was complete and all the parts were manufactured. Nobby Clarke, chief mechanic of one of the R.N.A.S. squadrons that had used Bentley rotary engines, was hired to assemble the first car engine. The 2,996-cubic centimeter long-stroke four-cylinder engine developed maximum power at just 3,500 rpm. It was successfully run for the first time at New Street Mews at the beginning of October, and a mock-up chassis was readied for the Olympia Motor Show in London.

 The car made an immediate impression, with its tall, imposing radiator and winged Bentley badge that had been designed by famed motoring artist F. Gordon Crosby. Autocar reported, "The Bentley chassis stands alone in its class as a car designed to give that peculiar and almost perfect combination of tractability and great speed usually to be found on machines built for racing, and racing only."

Of course, Bentley would achieve incredible motor racing success for many years, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours four times in a row during the 1920s. Bentley's drivers included Woolf Barnato, Sir Henry "Tim" Birkin, Jack Barclay, Glen Kidston, and George Duller. The "Bentley Boys," as they were known, became part of the Bentley legend, with W.O.'s clear policy to "race on Sunday, sell on Monday." 

S.C.H. Davis gave a 3.0-litre Bentley with an open four-seater tourer body its first road test for Autocar in January 1920. Bentley moved to a factory in Oxgate Lane in Cricklewood, where the Bentley cars were assembled. The first customer's 3.0-litre was delivered in August 1921. Bentley would go on to produce models of 4.5-litres, 6.5-litres and, finally, between 1930 and 1931, the mighty 8-Litre.

 The Mighty 8-Litre

 The 8-Litre was basically an enlarged version of the Speed Six. It had a newer and lower chassis with out-set rear springs and an F-series gearbox, which differed from all previous Bentley designs as its casing split down the center, as opposed to the square box with a lid on top, which was used in all the earlier cars. This layout allowed for larger bearings, which provided extra strength and reduced engine noise.

 The first 8-Litres appeared at the Olympia Motor Show in October 1930 and created a sensation. This magnificent machine would top 100 mph with heavy limousine coachwork and eight passengers inside!

 Bentley's Sales Manager Arthur Hillstead wrote in his book, Those Bentley Days, "Eight litres! Nearly three times the cubic capacity of the never-to-be-forgotten 3! And what a motor it was! Having a six-cylinder engine with a bore and stroke of 110 mm by 140 mm, respectively, and a top-gear speed range (with a ratio of 3.5 to 1) of a minimum of 6 mph and a maximum of 104 mph—what more could man ask for? Yes, indeed, and add to that an acceleration capacity of 10 mph to 100 mph in 50 seconds with a fully equipped saloon body, and surely we had the answer to the sporting motorist's prayer. The sporting motorist! Speed cum refinement in its highest form! A creation evolved from years of racing experience!"

The 8-Litre was clearly aimed to go head-to-head with the Rolls-Royce Phantom II, and Hillstead was impressed by the fact that, while the Bentley outperformed the supercharged Mercedes of that time on both acceleration and maximum speed, "it performed with a silence that was uncanny." He said, "There was nothing like it in the world."

More Info Here http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1061221

Robert Myrick Photography

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