Rolls-Royce V8 engine

:"Rolls-Royce V8 redirects here. For the specific model, see Rolls-Royce V-8.":"Bentley V8 redirects here. For the similarly-named model, see Bentley Eight."The Rolls-Royce V8 engine has been used on many standard and premium Rolls-Royce models as well as those of Bentley. Rolls-Royce Limited was among the first companies to make a successful V8 engine. Rolls-Royce V8 engines were also widely used by their former subsidiary Bentley. With the coming of foreign ownership, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars produces no more V8 engines, though Bentley continues use on certain models based on the Bentley Arnage.

3.5 L

Rolls-Royce premiered the world's second V8 engine in 1905 for their eponymous Rolls-Royce V-8, also known as the Rolls-Royce Legalimit because it was capable of traveling at the then-current British speed limit of 20 mph. In reality, it could travel at 26 mph, but the engine was governed so as not to exceed the speed limit. As it was to compete with early electric cars, the engine was a completely new design with smoothness and quietness as top priorities, with power a diminished demand. Production of this engine predated by a decade the mass production of a V8 engine by Cadillac, the first to do so.

American firm Marmon developed the first V8 in 1904, though it was experimental and did not find its way into a passenger vehicle. The Rolls-Royce V-8 was a functional vehicle and three were produced. None survive; this is the only Rolls-Royce with no extant examples.cite book |last=Georgano |first=N. |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile |year=2000 |publisher=HMSO |location=London |id=ISBN 1-57958-293-1]

Models

*Rolls-Royce V-8

=SpecificationsThe Rolls-Royce Motor Car. Anthony Bird and Ian Hallows. Batsford Books. 2002 ISBN 07134 8749 6] =

*Displacement: 3535 cc
*Bore/Stroke: 3.25"/3.25" (82.5 mm/82.5 mm) [cite web
last = Carrington
first = James
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Rolls-Royce V-8 Legalimit
work =
publisher = Darkforce Ltd.
date = 2006
url = http://www.darkforce.com/royce/v8.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-07-02]
*Number produced: 3

6.2 L

In the intervening period, Rolls-Royce developed high-quality straight-6, straight-8 engines and eventually V12s which filled its entire lineup. Rolls-Royce acquired Bentley in 1931, and continued to use its engines alongside their own for a time.

The need for a new engine arose again in the 1950s, and development began on a new V8 engine in 1952, with no relation to the earlier effort by Rolls-Royce. Bentley engineers were also involved on the project, and the engines were used in their cars, which by now were broadly similar to comparable Rolls-Royce models.

The engine was of an overhead valve design, angled at 90 degrees, featured a central camshaft and wedge-shaped combustion chambers, and displaced 6230 cc. The bore/stroke was 4.09"/3.60" (104 mm/91.5 mm). The new Rolls-Royce/Bentley V8 was rumored to be an American license-built V8, but it was developed in-house by Rolls-Royce and Bentley engineers. This can be identified in its design characteristics and features like an aluminium block with wet liners, gear-driven camshaft, (initially) outboard spark-plugs and porting inspired by the Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engine. The rumors were likely fueled by Rolls-Royce's usage of General Motors transmissions in their vehicles, notably the Turbo-Hydramatic in their Silver Shadow. Power output was highly dependent upon the model and state of tune; a figure of 172 hp (128 kW) for the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was approximately average.

Models

*Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II (1959-1966)
*Rolls-Royce Phantom V (1959-1968)
*Bentley S2 (1959-1962)
*Bentley S3 (1962-1965)
*Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow (1965-1970)
*Bentley T-series (1965-1980)
*Rolls-Royce Phantom VI (1968-1982)

Production

*Rolls-Royce Limited (1959-1973):*Bentley, subsidiary thereof
*Rolls-Royce Motors (1973-1982), subsidiary of Vickers plc (from 1980):*Bentley, subsidiary thereof

6.75 L

Starting in 1968, the V8 engine was bored out to 6.75 L, known affectionately as the "Six and Three-Quarter Litre", the most widely-used and well-known of all the versions, and possibly the most famous British V8 engine of all time, save for the Rover V8 engine, which was actually an American Buick design purchased from General Motors. Except for the Chevrolet Small-block V8, the Rolls-Royce/Bentley V8 is the longest-lived engine currently in production today. From a standpoint of usage in currently sold vehicles, the 6.75 L engine is the oldest engine produced, given that the production of Chevrolet small-block engines is relegated to sale as crate engines, and the replacement GM LS engine is dynamically unrelated to the classic Chevy engine.

Models

*Rolls-Royce Phantom VI (1968-1991)
*Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow (1970-1980)
*Bentley T-series (1970-1980)
*Rolls-Royce Corniche (1971-1996)
*Rolls-Royce Camargue (1975-1986)
*Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit (1980-1988)
*Bentley Mulsanne (1980-1992)
*Bentley Eight (1984-1992)
*Bentley Turbo R (1985-1997)
*Bentley Azure (1995-2003, 2006-present)
*Bentley Continental R (1991-2003)
*Bentley Brooklands (1992-1998)
*Bentley Turbo RT (1997-1998)
*Bentley Arnage (1998-present)
*Rolls-Royce Corniche (2000) (2000-2002)
*Bentley Brooklands Coupé (2008-present)

Production

*Rolls-Royce Limited (1968-1973):*Bentley, subsidiary thereof
*Rolls-Royce Motors (1973-2002), subsidiary of Vickers plc (1980-1998):*Bentley, subsidiary thereof (until 1998)
*Bentley, subsidiary of Volkswagen Group (1998-present)

Though the power output over the 6.2 L version was not extremely significant at the outset, with improved tuning and the addition of turbochargers, the 6.75 L became one of the world's powerful automobile engines and enormously enhanced the image of Bentley as a sports car maker. The process of evolving the engine has been gradual and continuous; by 1996 the final 1959-specification engine components had been replaced; the naturally-aspirated 6.75 L engine produced 150% more power and torque than at the beginning of its life, it had a 40% higher fuel economy, and produced 99.5% less exhaust emission. [cite web
last = English
first = Andrew
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Bentley Azure Convertible
work =
publisher = Daily Telegraph
date = 1996
url = http://expat-village.com/article_2793.shtml
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-07-02] Turbocharging produces an equally large leap in power. In the new Bentley Brooklands, the 6.75 L engine produces 530 bhp (395 kW) and 774 ft-lb (1050 Nm) of torque. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = 2008 Bentley Brooklands
work =
publisher = Left Lane News
date = May 2007
url = http://www.leftlanenews.com/bentley-brooklands.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-07-02]

BMW and Volkswagen split the brands

BMW obtained an interest in Rolls-Royce and Bentley in the 1990s, and began supplying them with engines in 1998, specifically a V12 for the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph and a twin-turbo 4.4 L V8 to replace the 6.75 L for the Bentley Arnage. BMW V8 engines were used exclusively in the Bentley Arnage from 1998 to 2000, and were steadily phased out from 2000 to 2002.

In 1998, Volkswagen and BMW reached an agreement. Volkswagen outbid BMW and paid £430 million to permanently have Bentley; additionally, they would have permission to produce current models of Rolls-Royce Motors until 2003, at which time BMW would retain exclusive rights to the Rolls-Royce franchise under the name Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

BMW does not own the rights to produce any pre-2003 Rolls-Royce or Bentley engines. The current Rolls-Royce Phantom and its derivatives use a naturally-aspirated BMW V12 engine. Though it also displaces 6.75 L, it has no technical similarities with the old V8.

Under Volkswagen, the Arnage ditched the BMW engine and went back to the old turbocharged 6.75 L V8. The Arnage-derived Brooklands uses the most powerful version of the engine yet. Both models remain in production alongside newer, VW-designed Bentleys based on the Continental GT.

References