In a valiant attempt to break new ground the Bentley 4 Litre was introduced in 1931 and broke with many traditions of the company. The F-head engine (inlet over exhaust) designed by Ricardo and developed by Bentley neither met the demands of the typical Bentley clientele nor did it attract buyers from the area of prospective Rolls-Royce purchasers. It is not entirely fair though to dismiss the Bentley 4 Litre as being mainly responsible for Bentley having been in such a sad state that they were forced to call in the receiver in 1931. The company's financial situation had been a rather weak one even prior to this final Bentley from Cricklewood appearing on the market. 50 cars were produced.