Bentley reveals new V8 engine

Bentley will launch its long-awaited twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine at the Detroit motor show early next month, promising “an instantly recognisable growl”.

The engine will initially be offered in special versions of the Continental GT and GTC, identifiable by their black grilles, red badges and ‘figure eight’ exhaust pipes. The models will be positioned below existing 6.0-litre W12 Continentals, which will stay in production.

The new V8, which uses direct high-pressure fuel injection and cuts to a fuel-sipping four-cylinder mode on light throttle loads, produces 500bhp at 6000rpm and 67.33kgm of torque between 1700 and 5000rpm. Using a new eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, which also improves efficiency, the V8 Continental has a top speed of 300kph, with 0-100kph acceleration below five seconds.

Bentley won’t reveal precise fuel consumption and emission figures until early next year. Nor does it mention whether the engine has been engineered to run on bio-ethanol, like the 6.0-litre W12. However, it expects V8-powered Continentals to be able to cover more than 805km on a single tank of fuel.

The move fulfils a Bentley commitment, made three years ago, to deliver a new powertrain with fuel consumption and emissions reduced by 40 percent compared with the W12 engine that has until now powered all Continental models, more than 50,000 of which have been sold since launch in 2003.

The new engine is closely related to the similar-sized unit already used in Audi’s S6, S7 and S8 models, but its power and torque characteristics have been uniquely configured to suit the marque values of Bentley’s cars.

Sophisticated Crewe-configured engine management allows a “seamless and imperceptible” transition to four-cylinder running on light loads. Other technical highlights include special low-friction bearings, thermal management to avoid excess heat loss, energy recuperation via an intelligent charging system and turbo packaging within the engine’s vee to reduce throttle lag.