A lot has change in the auto industry over the last five decades, but one thing has managed to stay the same – Bentley ’s flagship V8. This year marks the engine’s 50th anniversary, making it the second oldest in production, just behind Chevrolet ’s popular small-block V8.
Bentley ’s tried-and-true V8 first launched in the 1959 Bentley S2 – displacing 6.2L – before growing to its more familiar 6 3/4L size in 1968. The six and three-quarter liter V8 is still used in the company’s Brooklands coupe, Arnage and Azure models.
Although the engine’s 530 horsepower is nothing to turn your nose up at, the 6 3/4L mill is best known for its prodigious amounts of torque. In Brooklands coupe-guise, the big V8 develops 774 lb-ft of torque, a full 221 lb-ft more than the W12-powered Continental GTC Speed.
And despite the whole green movement, Bentley says the 50-year old bent eight is here to stay. However, expect the 6 3/4L to be converted to run on bio-fuels in the coming years as the British marque tries to comply with more stringent emission regulations.
