Bentley

Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury automobiles and sports cars. It was founded on January 18, 1919, by Walter Owen Bentley (1888–1971). After the First World War, he focused on developing sports cars that successfully competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The British brand was acquired by Rolls-Royce in 1931. The new strategy for the brand was a line of quiet sports cars within Rolls-Royce. Since 1998, the brand has been part of the Volkswagen Group.

History of Bentley

Walter Owen (WO) Bentley was born as the youngest of 9 children on 16 September 1888 in London. The Bentleys were a wealthy family. Walter Owen attended school until he was sixteen and then, like Henry Royce, trained as a railway engineer at the Great Northern Railway. He completed this in 1910. Afterwards, he spent a short time at King's College in London.

In 1912, together with his brother Horace Millner (HM) Bentley, he started a company under the name “Bentley and Bentley”. They sold French DFP cars (see footnote). Walter Owen was not satisfied with the performance of these cars and made significant improvements to them, for example by installing aluminium pistons. In 1913 and 1914, he broke several records with them at Brooklands. During the First World War, he played an important role in improving the French Clerget aircraft engine. He received an award (MBE) for this.

In 1920, he founded his own company: Bentley Motors Ltd. The factory was built in Cricklewood in Northwest London. He designed the Bentley 3-liter, a 4-cylinder engine on a sturdy chassis. With this car, he won the 24-hour Le Mans race in 1924, and with subsequent models, he also won this race in 1927, 1928, 1929, and 1930. His motto was: “Build a good car, a fast car, the best in its class.” Despite his success on the racetrack, the company was not doing well. Friends of his (the “Bentley Boys”), such as Richard Sidney and Woolf Baranto, had to step in financially.

Acquisition by Rolls Royce

Barnato became the majority shareholder. Walter Owen remained with the company and designed the 6-cylinder 6,5-liter Bentley. Due to poor economic conditions, the company continued to struggle. Sales of the new 8-liter model, which started in 1930, also went poorly. Barnato and Bentley were forced to put the company up for sale. Initially, it appeared that the company would buy Napier & Son, but at the last moment—in November 1931—a higher bid was submitted to the trustee. It turned out to be Walter Owen's competitor, Rolls-Royce. A new company was established: Bentley Motors (1931) Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of Rolls-Royce.

Classic Speed ​​6 from 1928

In 1933, the new Bentley 3 1/2 litre was introduced. It was a modified Rolls-Royce 20/25. Walter Owen continued working at the acquired company until 1935 and then left for LagondaHe went racing there again. With his new design, the Lagonda MG45 (4480 cc, V12 engine), he won Le Mans in 1935.

After the Second World War

After the Second World War, Lagonda was bought by David Brown, who merged it with Aston MartinAfter some time, Walter Owen left and went for Armstrong siddeley working where he designed another 3-liter engine before he stopped working. By then, he was a highly respected member of the Bentley Drivers' Club.

After the Second World War, Bentley resumed production in 1946 with the Mark VI — the first Bentley with a factory-built body. Until then, all Bentley bodies were built by external coachbuilders on a bare chassis. The Mark VI thus marked not only the post-war beginning but also the end of the bespoke coachwork era.

Under Rolls-Royce ownership, Bentley evolved in the 1950s and 1960s into a brand that was technically virtually identical to Rolls-Royce — but positioned more sportily. The 1952 R Type Continental was the finest proof of what Bentley could be: a Pininfarina body, a refined six-cylinder engine, and a top speed of nearly 190 km/h. The fastest four-seater production car in the world at that time.

In the 1960s and 1970s, however, Bentley increasingly lost its own identity. The 1965 T-Series was technically identical to the Silver Shadow — and it showed. Only three percent of the combined Rolls-Royce/Bentley production bore a Bentley badge. The brand had almost disappeared.

Revival of the 80s

The revival began in 1980 with the Mulsanne Turbo — the first turbocharged Bentley ever. Suddenly, there was once again a reason to choose a Bentley over a Rolls-Royce: more power, a sportier character, less emphasis on ceremonial comfort. The Turbo R of 1985 confirmed the new direction — a Bentley was now a driver's car again.

Bentley Continental R from 1991

The absolute turning point was the Continental R of 1991 — the first Bentley with a completely unique body since the R Type Continental of forty years earlier. With its flowing Gran Turismo lines and a turbocharged V8 of over 400 hp, the Continental R fully restored Bentley's reputation as a seriously sporty brand.

In 1998, Bentley was sold by Rolls-Royce — by then owned by Vickers — to the Volkswagen Group. A new era dawned: modern, technically advanced, and more commercially successful than ever. But the roots of the brand — sport, performance, British craftsmanship — remained what W.O. Bentley had intended in 1919.