Bentley

Bentley Motors Limited are a British car firm founded in 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley (known as “W.O”). Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1. Since 1998, the company has been owned by VW. The firm is based in Crewe in the UK.

1912 -- 1921 The beginning

“WO” and his brother bought Lecoq and Fernie, a French car company, renaming it “Bentley and Bentley”, with it’s headquarters in Mayfair, London. In 1919, after making airplane engines during WWI, the company was renamed “Bentley Motors”. The first Flying B badge appeared on the 1920 Bentley 3.5 Litre car, which was built near Baker Street, London. The first production car, another 3.5, was delivered to Bentley’s first client in 1921.

1921 -- 1930 Racing pedigree

Bentley won at Brooklands in 1921 and in 1923, a privately owned Bentley took 4th place in the first-ever Le Mans race! Engines grew ever larger in during the 1920′s, with a 6.5, a 4.5, a supercharged “Speed Six”, and an 8 liter engine that weighed two and a half tons (!) produced at the Cricklewood factory. Driver Tim Birkin got private financing to build the supercharged Birkin Blowers.

1930 -- 1939 Bought by Rolls Royce

WO’s dedication to quality created beautiful cars -- but was not financially viable. In 1926, he was demoted to managing director and Woolf Barnato became chairman. By 1931, things were no better. Rolls-Royce bought the company and kept WO on, pretty much just to stop him creating a rival company. The first Rolls-produced Bentley car, a 3.5, was released in 1933, and WO left the company for Lagonda two years later. In 1939, the Crewe Bentley factory opened.

1940-1982 Swallowed Whole

The MkVI of 1946 was the first Bentley to be built using Rolls components, and the 1952 R-Type Continental was the last Bentley built without a Rolls equivalent. These years are really the black point in Bentley history. Bentleys and Rolls-Royce’s were built side-by-side at the Crewe facility, with a Bentley-badged clone for every Rolls that rolled off the assembly line. WO died in 1971 at age 83.

1981-1998 Rebirth!

The introduction of the Bentley Mulsanne Turbo in 1982 turned the tide for Bentley. In 1984, the Bentley Corniche was renamed the Continental, hearkening back to the company’s roots. The Bentley Continental R, launched in 1991, was the first Bentley to have its own dedicated body since ’54. With Bentley outselling Rolls by the early 1990′s. The next year, Rolls made a deal with BMW for the German company to supply engines for Rolls and Bentley.

1998-2006 Divorce from the Enemy

VW bought Rolls-Royce in 1998, an acquisition which included Bentley. BMW then bought the Rolls-Royce name and announced that as 2002, Rolls and Bentley would be two separate companies. VW announced that it would invest nearly $1 billion to revive Bentley! The 2006 Bentley Azure became the resurrected Bentley’s flagship luxury sedan.

2006 -- Current -- The future

Since its introduction in 2003, the Bentley Continental lineup has expanded from one fast saloon to seven even faster convertibles and saloons! Each has the 6.0 W12 engine, but the “Continental Supersports”, as part of Bentleys commitment to reducing its carbon footprint, can run on either gasoline or biofuels. With the introduction of the Bentley Mulsanne in the summer of 2009 Bentley was back on firm ground with a long, luxurious, saloon car!

This article was written on Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
It's filed under: "Car guides"

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