Bentley Eight

The Eight was Bentley's "entry-level" offering from 1984 until 1992. Distinguished mainly by a wire-mesh grille radiator instead of vertical slats, the Eight also had somewhat less equipment than the similar Mulsanne on which it was based. This brought the introductory price to under the psychologically important £50,000 mark at the time of introduction, £6,000 less than the Mulsanne.[4] A firmer suspension offered slight handling improvements. The Eight was so popular that sales expanded from the original UK market to Europe and the United States.[1]

Bentley Eight
Overview
ManufacturerBentley
Production1984–1992
1,736 produced[1]
AssemblyCrewe, United Kingdom
Body and chassis
ClassFull-size luxury car
Body style4-door saloon
LayoutFR layout
RelatedBentley Mulsanne
Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit
Powertrain
Engine6.75 L (411.9 cu in) Rolls-Royce V8[1]
Transmission4-sp 4L80-E automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase3,061 mm (120.5 in)[1]
Length5,310 mm (209.1 in)[2]
Width1,890 mm (74.4 in)[2]
Height1,490 mm (58.7 in)[2]
Kerb weight2,320.2 kg (5,115 lb)[3]
Chronology
SuccessorBentley Brooklands
Bentley Flying Spur

Model specification

1989 Bentley Eight

The Eight was introduced with cloth upholstery, steel wheels, and a mesh grille that was simpler than the slatted grille of the Mulsanne. Fuel injection and anti-lock brakes were added in 1986, leather upholstery and power memory seats were added in 1987, and automatic ride height adjustment was added in 1990. In Britain, catalytic converters became optional in 1990 – although they had been available long before in markets where such were required. The three-speed automatic transmission was replaced by a four-speed transmission in August 1992.[5]

Notes

  1. K.-J. Rossfeldt. "Roßfeldt - Bentley Eight (1984 - 1992)". Rrab.com. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  2. "Octane: Model specs - 1984-1992 Bentley Eight Saloon". Classicandperformancecar.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  3. "1989 Bentley Eight - Specifications". Conceptcarz.com. Daniel Vaughan. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  4. Robson, Graham (November 2003), Bentley: A legend reborn (2nd ed.), Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset, UK: Haynes (2010), p. 115, ISBN 978-1-84425-491-0
  5. Dawe, Jason (17 November 2002). "Bentley Eight". Times Online. London, United Kingdom: Times Newspapers. Archived from the original on 9 May 2009.

References

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