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Information About

Bentley Speed Six




  name Bentley Speed Six
  manufacturer Bentley
  production 1926–1930<br>545 produced
  class Luxury Car
  successor Bentley 4&nbspL
  engine 65&nbspL I6
  designer Walter Owen Bentley
  wheelbase 132&nbspin (3353&nbspmm)<br>138&nbspin (3505&nbspmm)<br>140½&nbspin (3569&nbspmm)<br>144&nbspin (3658&nbspmm)<br>145½&nbspin (3696&nbspmm)<br>150&nbspin (3810&nbspmm)<br>151½&nbspin (3848&nbspmm)<br>152½&nbspin (3873&nbspmm)


Desiring more power, Walter Owen Bentley added two cylinders to the Straight-4 engine used in his 4½ Litre car, creating the 6½ Litre Bentley in 1926. A high-performance Speed Six model was famed for its racing success.


ENGINEERING

The 6 L car was inspired by the Rolls-Royce Phantom I as a closed-body car. Although based on the 3 L , it incorporated many improvements. The cone-type clutch was replaced by a dry-plate design, and four wheel finned- Drum Brake s were used.

Like the four cylinder engine, Bentley's Straight-6 included 4 Valves Per Cylinder , an exotic technology at the time, as well as a single-piece engine block and head cast in iron. Bore and stroke dimensions were identical to the 4½ L car at 100 mm (3.9 in) and 140 mm (5.5 in), respectively, giving a total of 6.6 L (6597 cc/402 in³) of displacement.

180–200 hp (134–149 kW) was produced, and the car was faster and more reliable than the Supercharged Bentley Blower produced at the same time.

A large variety of wheelbases were produced for such a low-production car, ranging from 132 in (3353 mm) to 152½ in (3873 mm).


SPEED SIX

The Speed Six was introduced in 1928 as a more sporting version. It would become the most-successful racing Bentley, claiming victory at the 24 Hours Of Le Mans in 1929 and 1930 with drivers Woolf Barnato , "Tim" Birkin , and Glen Kidston .

But the Speed Six was fitted as a conventional road-car, and many were used apart from racing. Two Saloon -bodied Speed Sixes even served as patrol cars for the Criminal Investigation Department of the Western Australia Police Force .


PRODUCTION

  • 6½ L: 363

  • Speed Six: 182