Brief History about the Bentley

The Bentley brand is to luxury cars what Everest is to mountains. Those with wallets deep enough to meet the six-figure price tags of the company's vehicles are treated to towering levels of refinement and prestige. Bentley coupes and sedans are mostly hand-assembled in Great Britain at the manufacturer's state-of-the-art Crewe factory. This fusion of old-world craftsmanship with new-world technology is what the Bentley marque is all about.

 Bentley came into being in the 1910s, headed by successful British racing driver W O Bentley. His first prototype, the EXP1, arrived in 1920 with sales of production cars from 1921.Racing was in the Bentley blood from the very beginning with the legendary Le Mans successes of the 'Bentley Boys' during the 20s and 30s. Although it would be 70 years before they would again see the winner's flag at Le Mans. Following the great depression of the 30s, Bentley was acquired by Rolls Royce. The Bentley brand ultimately suffered as a result, declining over many years to the point that the brand almost disappeared during the 1970s.The revival began with the 1982 introduction of the Mulsanne Turbo and subsequent Turbo R. Elegant, powerful vehicles that bought the brand back to the attention of the sporting luxury car market. Many considered them to be the best cars in the world at that time, surpassing even the Rolls Royce. The Continental R continued the theme in the 1990s with it's 6.75L turbocharged V8, followed by the Azure convertible and BMW powered Arnage. After it's purchase by the VW group in 1998, Bentley is allowed to further expand its model range and improve overall quality. The Continental was again redesigned and quickly became a sales success. Soon a four-door version of the Continental, the Flying Spur, debuted. As one would expect, modern Bentley coupes and sedans are powered by a series of surprisingly muscular engines. The most potent models are motivated by a turbocharged 12-cylinder engine that generates more than 600 horsepower. Bentley's traditional qualities remain, however, with all models benefiting from a cabin exquisitely finished with customizable leather and wood cabin trim.

There are high-dollar ultraluxury cruisers, and then there are Bentleys. Whether it's the Arnage sedan or the Brooklands coupe, these cars make an impressive statement and are sumptuous enough to make even the most jaded tycoon purr with delight.