Bentley Eight - What a Classic | FerrariChat
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Bentley Eight - What a Classic

Discussion in 'British' started by Silver Lusso, Sep 29, 2011.

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  1. Silver Lusso

    Silver Lusso Karting

    Dec 5, 2006
    66
    SF Bay Area
    Full Name:
    James
    #1 Silver Lusso, Sep 29, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I'm having the starter rebuilt on my Ferrari, and the great team at SF Motorsports provided me with their 1987 Bentley Eight as the loaner for a few days. I love British cars and grew up around Jags, with a 1966 3.8S being my first addition to the stable, but other than the picnic basket from a 1930s car I have little to no experience with the great Bentley mark. Well, the wait was worth it!

    The 40-mile drive home was superb. The Eight seams to float, eating any bumps effortlessly in its suspension, and its 3-speed gearbox performed very well in the hills of wine country. Make no mistake about it - this car is a beast. And the non-ABS breaks take a minute to get used to, but what personality and elegance on this machine -even the AC was blowing cold! This car is pure British in the best sense.

    Whereas my 3.8S is sportier, especially with the manual gearbox and overdrive (not to mention much lighter), the Bentley causes you to slow down and enjoy the ride. Plus as a bigger guy, the Eight's cabin is much more comfortable and well suited to my frame than the 3.8S. Perhaps the biggest complement was my wife's reaction - she ASKED to take a drive!

    I always love driving something new and different, but rarely does it have a lasting impact. I have been planning on upgrading the interior of my Jag starting this winter, but now I'm questioning whether to change direction and pursue a pre-modern Bentley (i.e. pre-VW; unfortunately the year 2000+ models will have to wait until I get my Maserati QP fix satisfied).

    Either way - the spirit of these British cars is superb, and stems from a previous era. What a special treat to have experienced.
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  2. Arvin Grajau

    Arvin Grajau Seven Time F1 World Champ

    Jun 7, 2006
    78,324
    Wurundjeri man.
    Full Name:
    Arvin Grajau
    #2 Arvin Grajau, Sep 29, 2011
    I had a Mulsanne S for a few years,great cars with so much leather/wood.
     
  3. Arvin Grajau

    Arvin Grajau Seven Time F1 World Champ

    Jun 7, 2006
    78,324
    Wurundjeri man.
    Full Name:
    Arvin Grajau
    #3 Arvin Grajau, Sep 29, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  4. Silver Lusso

    Silver Lusso Karting

    Dec 5, 2006
    66
    SF Bay Area
    Full Name:
    James
    #4 Silver Lusso, Sep 29, 2011
  5. Arvin Grajau

    Arvin Grajau Seven Time F1 World Champ

    Jun 7, 2006
    78,324
    Wurundjeri man.
    Full Name:
    Arvin Grajau
    #5 Arvin Grajau, Sep 29, 2011
    it was owned from new in '91 by Kerry Packer,I bought it from them in 2007 with 130,000ks on the clock,sold it a year latter,service history was fantastic.
     
  6. Champboat/Champcar

    Champboat/Champcar Formula Junior

    Jan 29, 2007
    885
    Freeport NY
    Full Name:
    Eric T
    #6 Champboat/Champcar, Sep 29, 2011
    i bought a 89 turbo r , a few years back for a winter car , i used it for a year or more , the car had 90,000 + miles , but was real clean + the interior was really nice, it was a fast , good riding , trouble free car .i miss it .
     
  7. bergxu

    bergxu Formula 3

    Aug 16, 2005
    1,307
    OnTheSerpentMound
    Full Name:
    Aaron
    #7 bergxu, Oct 3, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I run a '96 Turbo R daily in the spring, summer and fall months. Great car. Replaced my '89 Turbo R with this one a while back.

    It's hard to describe the feeling that you get when you feel a car of this size and weight rushing forward with such urge when you give it the welly...

    I think LJK Setright described it as "surfing a tidal wave on a buttonback Chesterfield sofa..."

    :D

    My beastie;
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  8. ferraripete

    ferraripete F1 World Champ

    Nov 5, 2003
    11,560
    san diego/charlotte
    #8 ferraripete, Oct 5, 2011
    these are seriously elegant machines...they have real pressence.

    i would enjoy a car like this and may begin to give a look. thanks for the photos to wet my appetite.

    pcb
     
  9. pearsonhaus

    pearsonhaus Formula 3

    Jul 2, 2008
    1,464
    #9 pearsonhaus, Oct 5, 2011
    Class....
     
  10. bergxu

    bergxu Formula 3

    Aug 16, 2005
    1,307
    OnTheSerpentMound
    Full Name:
    Aaron
    #10 bergxu, Oct 10, 2011
    I gotta say, for the money, it's a Hell of a lot of car. Just bear in mind you're maintaining a $200K+ automobile, regardless of what you paid for it recently, i.e. parts prices can be staggering on certain items, however their quality is without peer, so components last a very long time. I tallied up what I've spent on my car YTD and came to appx. $14K, but that was with a couple of unexpected biggies (heater matrix, power steering components). Beyond that, if you budget $3-5K per year for upkeep, you'll be right on the game. Oh, do be sure to find a mechanic who is qualified in RR/B, not just any foreign car shop, as these cars have many proprietary systems (well, the Zytek-equipped cars do) which need the Rolls Royce Mastercheck diagnostic to keep on top of and not many shops are so equipped, not to mention the things that are "weird" about these cars that only a Crewe-trained mechanic will be familiar with.
     

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