Bentley Reveals Secret Behind New V8 Engine

Jan. 18, 2021 1:05 PM ET by Michael Butler Engine / 6 Comments

This is what makes it tick.

When one thinks of Bentley, images of fox hunting parties and the smell of cash usually come to mind, but the British automaker has proven time and again that it's on the cutting edge of automotive technology. After enjoying a stellar 2020, Bentley is looking to the future and plans on working towards a more eco-friendly future, and an all-electric lineup by 2030. The brand has already taken positive steps in this direction with cars such as the Bentayga Hybrid, but at the end of the day, the engineers at Bentley HQ still have warm blood flowing through their veins, and can't resist bragging about their cross-plane V8s, especially the high tech 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that powers the new Flying Spur.

Bentley has been building cross-plane V8 engines for over 60 years, and the latest iteration manages to belt out massive amounts of power, all while keeping emissions lower than ever. It all starts with a block cast from high strength aluminum that is machined to the tightest tolerances. Adding power to an already capable naturally aspirated motor is a set of twin-scroll turbochargers positioned in the V of the engine. To aid in efficiency, the fuel injectors and spark plugs have been centralized within each combustion chamber. When not going at full tilt, this engine can switch off four cylinders to become a perfectly balanced V4. The internals features a five-bearing crankshaft and lightweight pistons, and this engine is perfectly square, with a stroke length and bore of 86 mm.

What does this all translate to then? This twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 churns out 542 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque at only 2,000 rpm. Peak power and torque are held all the way through to 4,500 rpm, and the twin turbochargers make this power by boosting up to 1.6 bar, at which point they spin at a dizzying 176,000 rpm. All of this sounds like a bad day at the gas station: two high-pressure fuel pumps are driven directly by the car's camshafts, which feed eight injectors each with a capacity of up to 250 bar. All of this gets the hefty Flying Spur up to sixty miles per hour in only 4 seconds. The engineering is astonishing, the numbers are incredible, and the car is a masterpiece. Well done Bentley.

Bentley Reveals Secret Behind New V8 Engine

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Bentley Reveals Secret Behind New V8 Engine

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