Bentley U.K.: Bentley Motors Limited is a British producer of luxury cars and SUVs and all vehicles are marketed by Bentley itself. Bentley is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG since 1998. Bentley’s headquarter is located in Crewe, England. The company was founded by W. O. Bentley in the year 1919 as Bentley Motors Limited. In October 1919, W.O. Bentley exhibited a car chassis, with dummy engine, at the London Motor Show. Delivery of the first cars was scheduled for June 1920, but the development took longer time as estimated so it was delivered in September 1921.
Established
18 January 1919; 98 years ago
Headquarters
Crewe, Cheshire, England, U. K.
After acquiring the business of Betley by Volkswagen, they spent US$845 million to modernise the Crewe factory and increase production capacity. In the year 2002, Bentley presented Queen Elizabeth II with an official State Limousine to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee. In 2003, Bentley introduced a second line, Bentley Continental GT, a large luxury coupé powered by a W12 engine built in Crewe. So, in 2003, the production of the new Flying Spur, a four-door version of the Continental GT, assigned to the Transparent Factory (Germany), where the Volkswagen Phaeton luxury car also assembled.
History
1919 – 1929 :
In August 1919, W.O. registered Bentley Motors Ltd. and in October he exhibited a car chassis with dummy engine, at the London Motor Show. Bentley’s first major event the 1922 Indianapolis 500, it a race dominated by specialized cars with Duesenberg racing chassis. Captain Woolf Barnato, he acquired his first Bentley a 3-litre in the year 1925, was a British racing driver. In 1929, Birkin developed the 4½-litre, lightweight Blower Bentley at Welwyn Garden City and produced five racing specials, starting with Bentley Blower No.1 which was optimised for the Brooklands racing circuit.
1930 – 1939 :
In the year 1931, Rolls-Royce took over the assets of Bentley Motors Ltd, also acquired the Bentley showrooms in Cork Street, the service station at Kingsbury, the complex at Cricklewood and the services of Bentley himself. Also, in 1932, Bentley had neglected to register their trademark so Rolls-Royce immediately sold the Cricklewood factory. In the year 1933, a new Bentley 3½ litre appeared which was a sporting variant of Rolls-Royce 20/25.
1940 – 1949 :
In 1943 during World War II, 25,000 Merlin engines produced and 10,000 people employed in the factory to complete this work. In 1946, in the newly reconfigured Crewe factory the first steel-bodied model produced was the Bentley Mark VI. So, in the year 1949, the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn introduced with a standard steel Bentley but with a Rolls-Royce radiator grille for a small extra charge.
1990 – 2010 :
Bentley Motors Limited became a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG in 1998. From 1 January 2003 forward, Volkswagen AG would be the sole provider of cars with the “Bentley” marque. In 2002, Bentley presented Queen Elizabeth II with an official State Limousine to celebrate her Golden Jubilee. In 2003, Bentley Continental GT introduced which a large luxury coupé powered by a W12 engine built in Crewe. However, in April 2005, Bentley confirmed plans to produce a four-seat convertible model—the Azure, derived from the Arnage Drophead Coupé prototype.
2011 – Present :
On 5th November 2013, Bentley introduced a new Shaheen special edition mulsanne. On 3rd March 214, Bentley unveils new Flying Spur V8 and Continental GT speed updates. Also, on 17 November, Bentley Grand Convertible unveiled in Los Angeles, it combines the driving experience of Mulsanne with the indulgence of open-air touring. on 16 December 2015, first Bentley Bentayga rolls off the production line. On 26 July 2017, Bentley introduces Continental GT timeless series.
The Bentley Boys
The Bentley Boys were a group of British motoring enthusiasts. So, the Bentley Boys favoured Bentley cars. Many were independently wealthy and many had a military background. They kept the marque’s reputation for high performance alive; Bentley was noted for its four consecutive victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, from 1927 to 1930. In 1929, Birkin developed the 4½-litre, lightweight Blower Bentley at Welwyn Garden City and produced five racing specials, starting with Bentley Blower No.1 which was optimised for the Brooklands racing circuit. Birkin overruled Bentley and put the model on the market before it was fully developed. In March 1930, during the Blue Train Races, Barnato raised the stakes on Rover and its Rover Light Six, having raced and beaten Le Train Bleu for the first time, to better that record with his 6½-litre Bentley Speed Six on a bet of £100.
Bentley Logo
Bentley is one of those classic car manufacturers who were able to make a successful transition. So, the Bentley has been around for many years now, and yet they were able to be on top of their game and keep up with the demands of the modern times. The Bentley logo is quite simple; the logo simply shows two wings with a “B” in the middle. The Bentley logo didn’t go through a lot of changes over the years; they simply tweaked it a bit to keep in tune with the modern designs. The letter “B” in the middle of the logo simply stands for Bentley. The two wings on either side of the letter is a symbol of speed.
The Bentley brothers, who founded the company, have always been producing high quality cars with very powerful engines. Since Bentley was known for their power and speed, they aptly symbolized it using the two wings.
