In the history of Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce Motors

Rolls-Royce Motors was created from the de-merger of the Rolls-Royce car business from Rolls-Royce Limited in 1973. The original Rolls-Royce Limited had been nationalised in 1971 due to the financial collapse of the company, caused in part by the development of the RB211 jet engine...

 automobiles, only two distinct series of V8 engines have been produced. The first powered the 1905 "V-8" model and was made in very small numbers. The second was developed in the 1950s and was known internally as the "L Series" of engines. The L Series V8, in highly developed form, continues to power Bentley

Bentley

Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...

 automobiles into the 21st century.

1905 V-8

Three 1905 Rolls-Royce V-8 automobiles were manufactured using the company’s first V-8 engine design but only one example was sold, a car using the two seat “Legalimit” body. This proved unreliable and was later taken back by the factory and scrapped. The other two were used for factory transport or display purposes. Rolls ordered three more chassis for delivery in 1906 but there is no evidence these were ever made. No example of a 1905 V-8 car or engine is known to survive.

Although the 1905 V-8 cannot be judged a success, lessons learned from the engine were used in subsequent Rolls-Royce engine designs.

L Series V8

Having used straight six, straight eight and V-12 engines in the interim period, the need for another new engine was recognised in the early 1950s. Development of a totally new V8 engine began in 1952, bearing no relation to the 1905 version apart from its V8 configuration. Rolls-Royce purchased Bentley in 1931 and the new engine was intended for use in both Rolls-Royce and Bentley automobiles. The result was a series of V8 engines known internally as the "L410", the name relating to its bore size of 4.10 inches, in accordance with the company practice.

Despite some attempts at changing the naming convention, the engine has kept both the 4.10 inch bore and the name L410 throughout its life, with the exception of the odd prototype. Developments of the L410 continued in production to power Rolls-Royces and Bentleys until the adoption of BMW V12 power by Rolls-Royce after the BMW purchase of the rights to use the Rolls-Royce brand (for automobiles) in 1998.

The L410 engine is still use by Bentley well into the 21st century, where it remains under continuous development. The Bentley brand and all former Rolls Royce and Bentley automotive manufacturing assets have been owned by Volkswagen AG since 1998.

For further detail of the L Series V8 engines developed since the 1950s for use in Rolls-Royce (to 1998) and Bentley (ongoing) automobiles, see Rolls-Royce - Bentley L Series V8 engine

Rolls-Royce - Bentley L Series V8 engine

The Crewe built Rolls-Royce - Bentley L Series V8 engine was used on many Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars in the four decades after its introduction in 1959...