The might Bentley 6¾-litre (6.75 liter) V8 engine has finally reached the end of its handcrafted manufacturing run. This is the longest serving V8 desing in continous production in the world and had managed to had a great life.
Back in 1950′, Bentley officialls wanted a new V8 engine to replace the six-cylinder engine used in the Bentley Mark VI, R-Type and S1. Jack Phillips, Senior Engine Designer, was asked to undertake this project and in just 18 months he managed to come with a function unit.
At the begining, the V8 engine has a 6.2 liter displacement and it was 30 lb lighter than the six-cylinder model. It made its debut in the Bentley S2 of 1959 and was able to deliver about 180 horsepower.
The original V8 engine then had to be redesigned to fit into the new Bentley T-Series introduced in 1965. The engine design team focused on improving performance, while reducing the overall engine dimensions to fit the space available under a lowered bonnet.
Engine capacity was increased to the eponymous 6¾-litres in 1971 through an increase in stroke from 3.6 to 3.9 inches that delivered even more torque.
In 61 years, the V8 engine was built in 36,000 units.
