Details of Cars

Bentley Eight: the entry-level Bentley of the 1980s

BENTLEY

1987 Bentley Eight
1987 Bentley Eight. Photo by Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Bentley Eight was Bentley’s entry-level model from 1984 to 1992. Based on the Mulsanne, it was distinguished by a wire-mesh radiator grille instead of vertical slats and by less equipment, which brought its price below the psychologically important £50,000 mark.

Bentley Eight at a glance

Bentley Eight key facts
Maker Bentley Motors, Crewe
Production 1984–1992
Based on Bentley Mulsanne
Price at launch under £50,000, about £6,000 less than the Mulsanne
Grille wire mesh instead of vertical slats
Trim at launch cloth upholstery and steel wheels
1986 update fuel injection and anti-lock brakes
1987 update leather upholstery and power memory seats
1990 update automatic ride height adjustment; catalytic converters optional
Gearbox three-speed automatic, four-speed from August 1992
Wheelbase short only
Built 1,736

The Eight is described in a section of the German, French and Italian Wikipedia articles on the Mulsanne; this page uses that section together with the English article on the Eight.

History of the Bentley Eight

The Eight was introduced in 1984 as a cheaper, more simply equipped version of the Mulsanne, intended to win buyers who had until then preferred Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar. At its launch it cost £49,497, about £5,000 less than the standard Mulsanne and within reach of a well-equipped Mercedes-Benz S-Class; in Germany it was priced at 186,846 DM, 66,000 DM less than a Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit. The saving came from a simpler dashboard, no special wood veneers, no leather-lined headlining and a reduced choice of standard paint colours.

Bentley Eight
Bentley Eight with its wire-mesh grille. Photo by ilikewaffles11, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Externally the Eight was recognised by its own grille. Where the Mulsanne had vertical slats, the Eight wore a wire-mesh grille recalling the sporting pre-war Bentleys and cheaper to make. The car was available only on the short wheelbase, and it had firmer suspension than the Mulsanne, which gave slightly better handling.

At first the Eight was sold only in Britain; from 1985 it was also offered in continental Europe and the United States, and it proved so popular that sales expanded well beyond the original UK market. Fuel injection and anti-lock brakes were added in 1986, leather upholstery and power memory seats in 1987, and automatic ride height adjustment in 1990. In Britain catalytic converters became optional in 1990. The three-speed automatic transmission was replaced by a four-speed in August 1992, at the end of the model’s life. By 1992 a total of 1,736 Bentley Eights had been built.

Design and features

  • Wire-mesh grille: a cheaper and sportier-looking front than the Mulsanne’s vertical slats.
  • Lower price: simplified trim brought the car in under £50,000 at launch.
  • Firmer suspension: slightly better handling than the standard Mulsanne.
  • Steady upgrading: fuel injection, anti-lock brakes, leather and ride-height adjustment arrived through the 1980s.

Bentley Eight versions

  • Eight (1984–1992): the standard short-wheelbase car.
  • Early cloth-trim cars: steel wheels and cloth upholstery before the 1987 update.
  • Later leather cars: from 1987 with power memory seats.
  • 1990 specification: automatic ride height adjustment and optional catalytic converters.

The Eight was the cheaper stablemate of the Mulsanne, and it was replaced in the range by the Brooklands saloon. More cars are in the Bentley collection.

Sources

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