Diesel Bentley
Discussion
I don't think there are any plans short term, however on the VAG platform cars, the V10 and V12 twin turbo TDI's would go right in. The Rolls Royce petrol V8 in the current Mulsanne, and others going way back, is very diesel like in its power delivery anyway, so a diesel, far from being heresy, would suit the cars well IMO. There have been RR&B diesel cars before, in prototype, but in those days, the diesel pumps were always in s
tty parts of garage forecourts, and whenever they fuelled up the test cars, it became apparent that for this alone, diesel wasn't right. I read that the Turbo R could have been a diesel, now that would have been a brave move in the early eighties.
tty parts of garage forecourts, and whenever they fuelled up the test cars, it became apparent that for this alone, diesel wasn't right. I read that the Turbo R could have been a diesel, now that would have been a brave move in the early eighties.AndrewW-G said:
There have also been a couple of cars converted by their owners 
I poked around a converted Silver Shedow at H&H a couple of years ago that had iirc an Isuzu TD motor hooked up to a 4 speed auto box, would have made the perfect rat runaround had the paint been a bit flakier and flat 
you would need to make sure it had a huge fuel slick stain going from the filler to the rear bumper as well, just to really make sure that the rrec would black ball you! I poked around a converted Silver Shedow at H&H a couple of years ago that had iirc an Isuzu TD motor hooked up to a 4 speed auto box, would have made the perfect rat runaround had the paint been a bit flakier and flat Any updates on this? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8321520/B...
I wonder if, in the search for greater fuel efficiency, diesel has had its day, particularly with the emissions problems associated with diesel engines. I would expect the likes of RR and Bentley to be looking at hybrids and electric vehicles. In fact, RR are already well on the way down that path.
HenryRoyce said:
I wonder if, in the search for greater fuel efficiency, diesel has had its day, particularly with the emissions problems associated with diesel engines. I would expect the likes of RR and Bentley to be looking at hybrids and electric vehicles. In fact, RR are already well on the way down that path.
I think they are more likely to go electric. Indeed, one could argue that an electric drivetrain takes RR/Bentley cars closer to the vision of the original founders than anything else.For example, Bentleys were once marketed as "the silent sports car". You can't get much more silent than an electric motor.
Rolls Royces have always been engineered for silence and seemingly effortless progress.
Reading about the design of the famous V8, it seems that two of the key design criteria were that it should run silently, and have lots of low-down torque. An electric drivetrain fulfills these criteria perfectly.
I also agree that diesel has had its day. Too much complexity required in order to meet emissions regulations and give an acceptable driving experience. I suppose the VAG group's V12 diesel could go into the new Brooklands, but it would have to offer something over and above the petrol version, and the amount of engineering required would probably not be justified by the tiny sales figures. Especially when many cars will be exported to the US and China, where buyers expect their Bentleys to be petrol powered.
AmitG said:
For example, Bentleys were once marketed as "the silent sports car". You can't get much more silent than an electric motor.
Rolls Royces have always been engineered for silence and seemingly effortless progress.
I remember seeing the original advert for the Silver Ghost that read, "As the Silver Ghost passes you in the road, all that is heard is the rush of tyres.......Rolls Royce don't make tyres!"Rolls Royces have always been engineered for silence and seemingly effortless progress.
Brilliant!
J
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