Rolls-Royce–Bentley L-series V8 engine as the "six and a quarter" litre engine. When new, the Rolls-Royce/Bentley V8 was rumoured to be an American engine design licence-built, but it was developed in-house by Rolls-Royce and Bentley engineers. This can be seen in its design characteristics, with features like an aluminium alloy cylinder block with wet liners, gear-driven camshaft, (initially) outboard spark plugs and porting inspired by the Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engine. The bore spacing of 4.75" was unlike any American V8 engine and the firing order was 1-5-4-8-6-3-7-2 something uncommon in any period American OHV V8. The deep skirted crankcase design is also rare with
Rolls-Royce V8 engine by Volkswagen Group by customer demand. Renamed the L675, it remains under continuous development, despite an attempt to replace it with the 6.0L W12 Volkswagen engine. 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" Around 1987, the requirement for a more modern, downsized V8 engine was identified. Engine designers Derek Jackson and Geoff Attwood performed the majority