#triumph thunderbird

1950 6T Thunderbird

Bentley Mark VI Majestic Major Hemi V8 Special (one-off). 

When you first see a Bentley Mark VI in all of its stately proportions, high-performance isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. The Mark VI is now often used as a wedding car along with its Rolls-Royce stablemate the Silver Wraith, and what they lack in outright speed they make up for with elegance, dignity, and opulence.

For the uninitiated, a Bentley Special is a car that started life as a Bentley, often a Mark VI, that then has its chassis shortened and lowered. A new more sporting body is usually fitted on top, possibly influenced by the Bentley Le Mans racers of the 1920s and 1930s, and new engines and transmissions are frequently fitted for a more sporting driving experience.

In essence, Bentley Specials are hot rods for the kind of people who fare on a first name basis with all the Ritz-Carlton concierges from London to Los Angeles.

When delivered to customers most of the Bentley Mark VIs that were made were fitted with steel coachwork with four doors, and they were powered by either the 4.3 or 4.6 liter straight-six sending power to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual gearbox.

The Daimler Majestic Major 4.5 V8 engine is perhaps not as well known as it should be. It was designed by legendary British engineer Edward Turner in two forms that look remarkably similar from the outside – the 2.5 V8 and the 4.5 V8.

The 2.5 V8 was produced in far higher numbers as it was fitted to both the Daimler SP250 sports car and the Daimler V8 250 four-door sedan. Surprisingly given the difference in displacement the external dimensions of the two engines are fairly close, the 4.5 is slightly wider, longer, and deeper.

Turner had made a name for himself designing motorcycle engines for Ariel and then Triumph earlier in his career, including the famous Ariel Square Four, the Triumph Speed Twin, the Triumph Thunderbird, and the Triumph T120 Bonneville.

In 1959 he designed the two automotive V8 engines for Daimler, using a very similar design for both engines, which included hemispherical combustion chambers and an overhead valve cylinder head design influenced by his earlier work on high-performance Triumph motorcycle engines.

The V8 has a 90º vee angle, an iron block with sandcast aluminum-alloy heads which contain two valves per cylinder actuated with pushrods from the camshaft which is located high in the block. The design of the engine has been praised by many over the years, including Jay Leno, however the fact that it was most famously fitted to the Daimler SP250 sports car – a vehicle that was not at all well-received – did dampen its reception somewhat. The 4.5 liter version of the V8 was fitted to the Daimler Majestic Major, a large and luxurious four-door sedan with a curb weight north of 4,000 lbs. The engine was said to produce 220 bhp and 283 lb ft of torque however this has been challenged in intervening years as the Daimler dynamometer was somewhat antiquated and was unable to produce readings above 220 bhp.

NIAGARA FALLS RUN - DAY 2 - OH CANADA!

We awoke at our hotel in Kenmore NY, Erik and I well rested as we slept in the comfort of separate double beds.  Cool Cal and Ice Man were a little more frazzled after their night in their cramped quarters, and the early morning train passing through.  We grabbed our breakfast at the hotel, before checking out.  Cal had made arrangements at another hotel in an area that Tim, the local Chapter VP had recommended.  After breakfast we saddled up and headed over to our new home in our new neighborhood . . .  Real Estate is all about Location, location, location . . . and so are good stories from the road, and this new hotel was chock full of good stories . . . Though at this time, we didn't;t realize it, as we were only there long enough to dump our stuff and meet Tim for the ride north into Canada to see the famous Falls.

We crossed the border at the Peace Bridge.  Timmy, riding behind me was a seasoned pro at Canadian border crossings, having crossed it a few with Dave and Kevin and once with me when we rode into the Yukon from Alaska.  But this was the first international border crossing for me on my bike, and she now has been ridden by me in 48 States and 1 Canadian Provence, we picked up a new sign along the way!

The Falls were spectacular - well worth the trip.  They will get their own separate posting.  This post is about the ride.  Tim led us on a nice ride, following the Niagra River through very nice neighborhoods with beautiful homes and sights.  We stopped for a stretch at a Tim Horton’s.  Now, from another blog I follow (#workhard-rideharder) I have learned that when riding in Canada, you have to stop at Tim Horton’s and get a picture of your bike in front of the place - I think its a law there . . .  I regularly drink Tim Horton’s K-Cups at work, but had never experienced their fresh brewed coffee or treats . . . I must say - I am a fan!

After the stretch and introduction to Fresh Tim Horton’s coffee, we headed tot he Falls (again - to be covered in a separate post).  When we finished taking in the wonders of the Falls, Tim had to depart to get to his daughter’s graduation.  The rest of us headed further north into Lake Niagara for lunch.  Along the way the skies were threatening to open up, but aside from a few large drops, they didn't, until we were seated on the only uncovered section of the porch at the restaurant we chose to eat at.  We were able to move inside to stay dry, and enjoyed our lunch very much.

One thing I must say about Canada - When you eat at a restaurant and pay with a credit card, rather than taking your card to the credit card machine (and taking the card out of your sight and subjecting it to possible skimming by unscrupulous wait staff), they bring the machine to you - Why this isn't standard in the good ‘ol USofA is beyond me . . .