Only 100, 8 Litres Ever Made

The Bentley 8 Litre could have become one of the worlds greatest cars, like the gargantuan Bugatti Royale.  But, it was launched in London, in 1930, with a price of 1,850 British Pounds.  Back then, that was a lot, especially since at almost the exactly the same time, the Great Depression arrived in Europe.  As a result, only 100 8 Litres were ever made, and the cars failure, brought Bentley too its knees; within a year, it was sold to Rolls Royce.  Of those 100, only 78 are left, and every one, is unique.  This was a time when companies like Bentley sold you the bottom half of a car (the chassis, engine and wheels) and then left you to find a coach builder for the body, and the seats, and the roof.  

So, this car shares its huge 220 horse power, 6 cylinder engine and 21 inch wheels, with all the other 8 Litres, but the rest, that was always a one off.  On this one for example, the roof opens down the middle, so when it rains those on the left can opt to get wet, while those on the right could stay dry. Strangely it was an idea that didn't catch on.

Some Bentley 8 Litres featured a unique rear hinge design on the passenger doors.  While elegant, this design isn't without its faults.  A dangerous tendency, for an improperly closed door to swing open while the car was moving, led to the nick name, suicide doors.  

Cooling the colossal in-line 6 engine was no easy task.  Hidden behind the classic bentley grill, lays a radiator twice the size of one found in the average modern car.  The 8 litre in-line 6 generates enough horse power that allows the car to cruise comfortably at 80mph (130kmh) and achieve top speed of over 100mph (160kph).  In the 1930's, it cost just 5 dollars to fill this Bentley's 95 litre fuel tank, but with the car costing more than the average house at the time, it was far from affordable.  Today, a Bentley 8 Litre will cost you a nice dollar... about $980,000 to be exact, and thats just for a base model.