1931 Bentley 8-Liter Sport Saloon

This Bentley 8 Litre was the penultimate 8 Litre to be sold by Bentley Motors and one of the 25 built on the 12-foot wheelbase. It is also the last survivor of three cars built with Vanden Plas 'Silent Block' Saloon coachwork. It was built for Mr. J.A. Player of the Players cigarette family and still features its original 'smoker's companion' with a cigarette lighter in the center of the windscreen. The 8 Litre has enjoyed a continuous ownership history through to the present day and is remarkably original for a Vintage-era Bentley Saloon. For 56 years, until it was sold to its current owner in 2018, the motor car remained in the fastidious hands of Mr. C. G. Greene, who was a true Bentley enthusiast.

By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2019

100 examples of the 8-Liter Bentley were produced before bankruptcy overtook the original Bentley Company. Introduced at the 1930 London Motor Show, the 8-Liter was the largest engined car made in the United Kingdom at the time. It was capable of fast speeds even when laden with stately coachwork. It combined the proven features of the 6.5-Liter model with W.O Bentley's latest engineering advances. Instead of trying to extract more power from the 6.5-liter engine, W.O. enlarged it by increasing the bore size from 100 to 110mm. With the increase in power and torque, a new gearbox was installed. It was called the 'F-Type' and it was very different from its predecessors. The chassis was entirely new, with a 'double drop' design that a reduced overall height which lowered the center of gravity. It had several tubular cross members, a hypoid-bevel rear axle, longer road springs, and Bentley & Draper shock absorbers. Two wheelbase sizes were available including 12- or 13-feet.

The 8-Liter was the fastest production Bentley until the arrival of the R-Type Continental in 1953.

This particular 8-Liter 'Silent Bloc' Saloon wears coachwork by Vanden Plas. The 7983cc single overhead cam inline six-cylinder engine is fitted with a single Smiths 50BVS carburetor and produces nearly 150 horsepower. There is the four-speed 'F' manual transmission, semi-elliptic leaf spring suspension, and four-wheel mechanical Servo Assisted drum brakes.


This vehicle was the penultimate 8-Liter that was sold by Bentley Motors. It was delivered new to J.A. Player. It was delivered in aluminum closed saloon coachwork by Vanden Plas utilizing the Weymann 'Silent Block' lightweight patent principles. Three such cars were originally built with this being the only example that remains in modern times.

The car was registered with 'VO6960' license plate. It would remain in Mr. Player's care for four years and accrue 23,667 miles. It then went to Ireland and into the care of C.W. Mason of York Street in Belfast. An additional 1,000 miles were added to the odometer. By September of 1936, the Bentley had returned to the United Kingdom. It was acquired by H. Dagnall, in Weybridge, Surrey. By November 19th of 1937, nearly 84,000 miles were on the odometer - Mr. Dagnall certainly must have appreciated the vehicle.

In October of 1955 the car was advertised in Motorsport Magazine as a 'Four-door short-wheelbase saloon, completely overhauled' by a Mr. Taeffe of Redditch, Worcs. It was purchased by Bruce Fagan for $1,000. Fagan had the car shipped to his California residence. During shipping, the car was dropped a couple of feet when being loaded off the ship, immediately necessitating repair to the right hand front wheel. It was Fagan's intention to refurbish the car, which he commenced with. After completion, the car was offered for sale and acquired by Leonard Potter. It was owned by William Ruger Junior from 1958 until 1961. In 1961, it was traded for another 8-Liter (then owned by John Ballantine of Connecticut) and agreed to donate YX5113 to the Larz Anderson Auto Museum Collection in Ballatine's name.

In September of 1962, the Museum offered the car for sale by auction. Ownership passed to G.Clayton Greene of Concord, Massachusetts where it has remained.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2018