Lot 433: 1988 Bentley Eight Saloon

The re-positioning of the Bentley marque as Rolls-Royce’s enthusiast, high-performance partner had begun in 1982 with the introduction of the Bentley Mulsanne Turbo, yet one crucial element of the package remained relatively undeveloped: the chassis. As it happened, the modifications necessary to enable the greatly increased urge to be exploited to the full - firmer damping and altered spring rates - debuted in 1984 on the evocatively named yet normally aspirated Bentley Eight. By giving the Bentley Eight a simple mesh grille in vintage Le Mans style, its designers created a distinctive new model, furthering the marque’s revival as Rolls-Royce sporting partner. Conceived as an ‘entry level’ Bentley, the normally aspirated Eight was pitched against the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7-Series yet was more expensive than its German rivals at a little under £50,000 when launched in 1984. The saving of some £5,000 over the price of a standard Mulsanne was achieved by a slight reduction in interior specification - straight-grain walnut rather than the traditional burr, for example - yet the overall effect remained virtually unchanged. “Inside it’s still luxury with a capital ‘L’ and the big, leather lounge chairs with their every-which-way power adjustment remain a potent statement of this,” observed Motor.
This Bentley Eight’s previous registered keepers were Lord and Lady Wheatley. The vehicle has covered circa 61,000 miles from new and comes with full service history, including all MoT certificates, and is sold complete with its cherished registration plate ‘190 ELT’. Recent work carried out (June 2005) included fitting new front suspension springs and new rear shock absorbers. Finished in blue with matching hide interior, the vehicle is offered with road fund licence/MoT to June 2006 and Swansea V5 registration document.