MORE 8-LITRE FIGURES

July 7th 2014

The B.A.R.C. race for road-equipped cars did not attract Forrest-Lycett’s 8-litre Bentley as a runner, and many people still regard this famous car as the most desirable sports-car ever evolved, and probably the mostly potent. Last year MOTOR SPORT published the first test figures for this car. Amongst those obtained were the standing quarter-mile in 16.4 secs., and the 0-100 m.p.h. figure

in 23.0 secs. The car had 7.00″ x21″ rear covers and a 8.0 to 1 top gear ratio. At the time, Mr. Lycett said, remarkable as these figures were, that he would finprove on them with a lower axle-ratio. On June 7th last he met us at Brooklands, and, using 7.00″ X19″ racing rear covers and his 3.3 to 1 axle ratio, he did the standing quarter-mile in 15.0 secs. and achieved 0-100 m.p.h. in well under 20 secs. We did not try the standing half-mile, because this gear-ratio, which gives 100 m.p.h. at 3,500 r.p.m. only permits of about 112 m.p.h., which would not not suffice to better the previous time for this test, of 26.2 secs. Incidentally, although a comparatively low ratio was in use, on this occasion it must not be thought that Lycett employs his special axle to attain sprint honours. His usual road ratio is 2.8 to and he used this axle at Shelsley-Walsh, when the Bentley climbed in 44.08 secs., winning the unlimited class and making seventh fastest unblown time. It is worth emphasising that the 8-litre runs on pump fuel and is. a 1931 car, of standard wheelbase—and nothing was done to it before it went out

to record the figures given above. It will probably make an attack on the British Class B standing mile record_ later this year. Although we timed the car on a baking hot day the water temperature remained steady at 85°C. Still the world’s Finest Sporting Car ?