Bentley Motors Limited was founded by W.O. Bentley, who had long wanted to build his own cars, in January 1919. Based in Crewe, the company quickly became known for an innovative 4 valves-per-cylinder engine featured in their first car, which went into production in 1921. It was widely acclaimed, and Bentley achieved further notoriety the following year when their cars raced in both the Indianapolis 500 and the RAC Tourist Trophy.
Success followed in 1924, when Bentley won at Le Mans. This prompted investment from Woolf Barnato, one of the many ‘Bentley Boys’ – wealthy motorists who drove only Bentleys. These Bentley Boys went on to have a great influence on the company – they helped maintain the brand’s prestige, and spurred developments that led to Bentley winning Le Mans in 1927, 1928,1929 and 1930. Nor were these the only successes in this period: the Bentley Blower was developed in 1929, and in 1930 Woolf Bernato successfully raced and beat Le Train Bleu from Cannes to London in his 6.5 litre Bentley Speed Six.
Unfortunately, however, the Wall Street Crash and subsequent Great Depression proved exceedingly problematic for Bentley, and the company went into receivership in 1931 Bentley was put up for sale, and bought by Rolls-Royce through an anonymous holding company: the ‘British Central Equitable Trust, a sneaky move that was necessary due to the vendetta between their chief engineer and Bentley.
Rolls Royce moved production to Derby and closed the Cricklewood factory, although it maintained the Bentley name. All cars produced from this point, however, used adapted Rolls Royce chassis and engines. W.O. Bentley was originally kept on the board, but left to join Lagonda in 1935 as he was deeply unhappy with the new company. Production on various new models continued, and, with coachwork by H J Mulliner, the Bentley Continental was one of the key developments for the company after WW2. Other models produced in this half-century of the company’s existence included the R Type, the S Type, the T type and the Corniche.
The company was, however, far from a huge success and by the 1980s, Bentley sales had slumped significantly. Salvation came when Rolls-Royce Motors Limited was bought by Vickers plc, and the company’s fortunes were quickly reversed. The Mulsanne Turbo, produced in 1984, put Bentley back on the sporting map and was soon followed by a new convertible Continental, the Turbo R, the Brooklands, the Mulliner and many more.
The game of automotive pass the parcel hadn’t finished, however, and at the end of the 20th century the company again changed hands, ending up as a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG. Volkswagen invested heavily into production facilities – something that was necessary given the now high volume of orders. With prestige firmly back in tact by this stage, Bentley presented Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with a state limousine to celebrate her Golden Jubilee in 2002. For customers, meanwhile, Bentley developed memorable cars such as the Flying Spur, the new Continental Supersports and the GTZ.
Today, Bentley stands as the hallmark of automotive luxury, and its vehicles are chosen by everyone from A-list celebrities to heads of state. Current production models include the Flying Spur, the Continental GTC and the Mulsanne. To discover these magnificent cars for yourself, pay a visit to the Signature Experience Centre, where we have a range of Bentley models for you to hire.
