Bentley discontinues production of the legendary L-Series V8 engine after 61 years.

Bentley has built the last of its iconic L-Series V-8 engines; after 61 years of production, the 6.75-liter V-8 has been retired with the end of production of the last Mulsanne sedan.

According to a Bentley press release, the last L-Series engine was assembled Monday by a team of seven people at the Crewe plant in England. The engine was installed in the 30th Mulsanne 6.75 Edition, a special model built to mark the end of Mulsanne and L-Series production.

Development of the L Series V-8 engine began in the 1950s, when Bentley was part of Rolls-Royce. The goal was to replace the existing in-line six-cylinder engine with a more powerful one, but without increasing its weight or size; in 18 short months, the V-8 engine was taken from idea to working engine and weighed 30 pounds less than the six-cylinder engine.

Production of the L Series began in 1959, initially for the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and Bentley S2. fuel injection were adopted.

The original naturally aspirated version produced 180 hp, while the current twin-turbo 6.75-liter version produces 530 hp and 811 lb-ft of torque at the Murzanne Speed. Bentley says this latest version also reduces harmful emissions by 99%.

Although this unique engine is fueled by gasoline, the 4,500 rpm redline makes it feel like a diesel. Smooth and powerful, the engine delivers the effortless power Bentley desires.

Bentley estimates that all 36,000 L-Series were built by hand; according to Bentley, each modern L-Series V-8 engine takes 15 hours to build. Assemblers hand-select internal parts that match whenever possible, and each engine is individually signed by a specialist.

With the retirement of the L Series, Bentley will continue with the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 and 6.0-liter twin-turbo W-12 engines and the V-6 plug-in hybrid powertrain introduced in the Bentayga in 2019. Bentley plans to launch hybrid versions of all models by 2023 and its first all-electric vehicle in 2025.