The history of the Bentley car brand

Bentley Motors Limited is a British automobile company specializing in premium passenger cars. The headquarters is located in Crewe. The company is part of the German Volkswagen Group.

The history of the emergence of majestic cars dates back to the last century. At the beginning of the winter of 1919, the company was founded by the famous racer and mechanic in one person - Walter Bentley. Initially, Walter got the idea to create his own sports car. Prior to that, he significantly distinguished himself in the creation of power units. The created powerful aircraft engines brought him financial profit, which soon served in organizing his own business, namely in creating a company.

Walter Bentley developed his first high-quality sports car with Harry Varley and Frank Barges. The priority in the creation was directed to technical data, mainly to engine power, since the idea was to create a sports car. The creator did not particularly care about the appearance of the car. The powertrain development project was entrusted to Clive Gallop. And by the end of the same year, a 4-cylinder, 3-liter power unit was constructed. Engine displacement played a role in the model name. The Bentley 3L was released in the fall of 1921. The car was in good demand in Annlia for its high performance and was quite expensive. Due to the high price, the car was not in demand in other markets.

The newly created sports car began to fulfill Walter's conceived plans, he immediately began to take part in racing events and achieved significantly high results.

The car gained massive popularity due to its characteristics, in particular speed and quality, its reliability also played an important role.

A very young company deserved respect for the fact that it provided a car warranty period for five years.

The sports car was in demand among famous racing drivers. The models sold have enjoyed privileged racing positions and have also competed in the Le Mans and Indianapolis rallies.

In 1926 the company felt a heavy financial burden, but one of the famous racers who used exclusively this brand, Wulf Barnato, became an investor in the company. He soon took over as chairman of Bentley.

Diligent work was carried out to modernize the power units, a number of new models were released. One of them, the Bentley 4.5L, became a multiple champion in the Le Mans rally, which made the brand even more famous. Subsequent models also took first places in racing, but 1930 was a turning point, as Bentley stopped taking part in racing events until the turn of the new century.

Also in 1930 was released "the most expensive European car" Bentley 8L.

Unfortunately, after 1930 it ceases to exist independently. Wolfe's investment dwindled and the company suffered financial ruin again. The company was acquired by Rolls Royce and is now a subsidiary of the company.

In 1935 Walter Bentley left the company. Previously, Rolls Royce and Bentley signed a contract for 4 years, after which he left the company.

Wulf Barnato took over as a subsidiary of Bentley.

In 1998, Bentley was bought by the Volkswagen Group.

Founder

Walter Bentley was born in the fall of 1888 into a large family. Graduated from Klift College with a degree in engineering. He worked as an apprentice in a depot, then as a fireman. The love of racing was born in childhood, and soon he began to get very involved in racing. Then he started selling cars of French brands. An engineering degree led him to the development of aircraft engines.

Over time, the love of racing gave rise to the idea of ​​creating your own car. From car sales, he earned enough funds to start his own business and in 1919 founded the sports car company Bentley.

Next, a powerful car was created in collaboration with Harry Varley and Frank Barges.

The created cars had high power and quality, which was commensurate with the price. They took part in races and took first places.

The economic crisis led to the bankruptcy of the company in 1931 and it was bought out. Not only the company was lost, but also property.

Walter Bentley died in the summer of 1971.

Emblem

The Bentley emblem is depicted as two open wings, symbolizing flight, between which there is a circle with an inscribed capital letter B. The wings are depicted in a silver color scheme, which represents sophistication and perfection, the circle is filled with black color, representing elegance, the white color of the letter B carries charm and purity.

Bentley car history

The first sports car Bentley 3L was created in 1919, equipped with a 4-cylinder power unit with a volume of 3 liters, actively participating in racing events.

Then a 4,5-liter model was released and was called the Bentley 4.5L with a massive body.

In 1933, the Rolls Royce prototype, the Bentley 3.5-liter model, was produced with a powerful engine that reaches speeds of up to 145 km / h. In almost all respects, the model resembled a Rolls Royce.

The Mark VI model was equipped with a powerful 6-cylinder engine. A little later, a modernized version with a gearbox on the mechanics came out. With the same engine, the R Type Continental sedan was released. Light weight and good technical characteristics allowed her to win the title as “the fastest sedan”.

Until 1965, Bentley was mainly engaged in the production of prototype models of Rolls Royce. So the S series was released and the upgraded S2, equipped with a powerful power unit for 8 cylinders.

The “fastest coupe” or Serie T model was released after 1965. High performance and the ability to reach speeds of up to 273 km / h made a breakthrough.

In the early 90s, the Continental R debuts with original body, Turbo / Continental S modifications.

The Continental T was equipped with a very powerful 400 horsepower engine.

After the company was bought out by the Volkswagen Group, the company released the Arnage model in two series: Red Label and Green Label. There is no particular difference between them, at the first it had a more athletic potential. Also, the car was equipped with a powerful engine from BMW and had high technical characteristics based on new technologies.

Released after the modernized Continental models were designed on the basis of new technologies, there were improvements to the engine, which soon made it possible to consider the model as the fastest coupe. The appearance of the car with the original design also attracted attention.

The Arnage B6 is an armored limousine released in 2003. The armor was so strong that its defenses could withstand even a powerful explosion. The exclusive interior of the car is characterized by sophistication and personality.

Since 2004, a modernized version of Arnage has been released with the power of an engine capable of reaching speeds of almost 320 km / h.

The 2005 Continental Flying Spur with a sedan body has won attention not only for its high-speed and innovative technical indicators, but also for its original interior and exterior. In the future, there was an upgraded version equipped with more advanced technologies.

The 2008 Azure T is the world's most luxurious convertible. Just look at the design of the car.

In 2012, the redesigned Continental GT Speed ​​debuted. From all Continental was the fastest with a maximum speed of 325 km / h.