Pioneering engine shop technology

The heart of a Vintage Bentley, W. O. Bentley employed sophisticated pioneering technology in the engines, such as monoblocks with block and head as one casting removing the potential for any head gasket problems. Using contemporary technology from the aircraft industry, aluminium pistons were introduced, as well as an overhead camshaft driving 4 valves per cylinder, pent-roof combustion chambers, twin spark plugs per cylinders and dual-carburettors. When these innovations were combined with very long stroke, large capacity engines, this resulted in good power, with vast reserves of torque at low revs. The engines which were low stressed, immensely strong, reliable and enduring which enabled Bentley to offer a 5 year warranty on his cars - a car industry first.

We have the utmost respect for what the factory achieved nearly 100 years ago and it is fair to say that engine builds are our speciality! We have a dedicated engine room with a dynamometer specifically geared for testing Vintage Bentley engines. A full engine build takes 200 hours and after completion an engine is tested for 8 to 12 hours on the dyno, ensuring all components are running smoothly and correctly adjusted to deliver power outputs which are measured for the client to review. Usually we have around 8 engine builds on the go at any one time, but before key endurance events we support, things can get rather busy!

The engine shop has built just about every type of engine with 3 litre, 4.5 litre, 5.3 litre, 6.5 litre to 8 litre capacities, naturally aspirated and supercharged, completely original specification to those modified for demanding endurance competition applications. There is one common thread shared with all our engine builds and that is a commitment to building units with the utmost reliability. Some of the cars we build run on arduous terrain and have top speed capabilities well in excess of 100 mph and therefore with the extensive experience we have accrued running cars on competitive events, we have built a knowledge bank that is second to none on identifying which components are susceptible to failure. To this end we provide customers with build options with a number of custom-fabricated, uprated parts to be incorporated should they wish to drive their Bentley's in the spirit in which they were conceived - enthusiastically and hard!

Whether you want a rebuild of your 3 litre to original specification or a supercharged 8 litre producing circa 500 bhp - we can deliver a unit which will meet or exceed your expectations, with dyno figures to match.