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 | |
| Manufacturer | Bentley |
| Production | 1984–1992 1,736 produced[1] |
| Assembly | Crewe, United Kingdom |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Full-size luxury car |
| Body style | 4-door saloon |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Related | Bentley Mulsanne Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 6.75 L (411.9 cu in) Rolls-Royce V8[1] |
| Transmission | 4-sp 4L80-E automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 3,061 mm (120.5 in)[1] |
| Length | 5,310 mm (209.1 in)[2] |
| Width | 1,890 mm (74.4 in)[2] |
| Height | 1,490 mm (58.7 in)[2] |
| Kerb weight | 2,320.2 kg (5,115 lb)[3] |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Bentley Brooklands (successor of Mulsanne S) Bentley Flying Spur (later) |
Model specification
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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
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- ^ a b c d K.-J. Rossfeldt. "Roßfeldt - Bentley Eight (1984 - 1992)". Rrab.com. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
- ^ a b c "Octane: Model specs - 1984-1992 Bentley Eight Saloon". Classicandperformancecar.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
- ^ "1989 Bentley Eight - Specifications". Conceptcarz.com. Daniel Vaughan. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
- ^ Robson, Graham (November 2003), Bentley: A legend reborn (2nd ed.), Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset, UK: Haynes (2010), p. 115, ISBN 978-1-84425-491-0
- ^ Dawe, Jason (17 November 2002). "Bentley Eight". Times Online. London, United Kingdom: Times Newspapers. Archived from the original on 9 May 2009.
References
edit- "Octane: Model specs - 1984-1992 Bentley Eight Saloon". Octane. London, United Kingdom: Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2009.