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Bentley To Kill The 6.75L V8
by
Derek Kreindler
(IC: employee)
Published: August 16th, 2012
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Bentley is set to kill off its iconic 6.75L turbocharged V8 – and this time it’s for good.
Back around the turn of the millenium, Bentley debuted their new Arnage with a BMW-derived V8 engine. That didn’t go over well with the Bentley faithful, forcing the company to brand it as the “Green Label”, and then re-introduce the six-and-three-quarters V8 as the “Red Label”, the Bentley of choice for true pimps and scoundrels.
Going forward, Bentley will be pushed towards 12-cylinder engines, and having a V8 flagship doesn’t quite fit with that message. Volkswagen can push whatever message they want as far as we’re concerned; the one true Bentley is the one pictured above.
Derek Kreindler
More by Derek Kreindler
Published August 16th, 2012 2:21 PM
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agreed on the Arnage as the true Bentley, Derek, giving the last Brooklands the same status. can't stand the Continental family and the Flying Spur in particular. funny (or tragic) how Bentley and Rolls-Royce seem to have lost the plot in design, all their new cars look overdesigned and ordinary.
Anyone know how heavy the Bentley 6 3/4 is? It's described as being like the Chrysler Hemi and the Chevy Small-block. If its weight and size are like an SBC, then I think Lotus has its Esprit engine! Distinctive, powerful, British.
I have hard time believing this. Not only because Bentley just spent a fortune overhauling this engine, but also due to the fact that Continental is also going V8 - with the eight-cylinder version being (according to the reviews) in many respects better than W12, it makes more sense for all Bentleys to go V8 instead of getting a V12.
My father had a Rolls Royce flying spur in the Nineties and it had that old 6.75L v8 which sounded lovely when pushed, on the other hand I remember he test drove a Bentley flying spur with that odd w12 engine and to be honest it sounded like three individual four cylinders making lots and lots of uninteresting noises and nothing else. A Bentley deserves an appropriate engine and the w12 is not that engine.