Bentley From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other uses, see Bentley (disambiguation). Bentley Motors Limited Type Subsidiary Industry Engineering Manufacturing Distribution FateFate Acquired by Rolls-Royce Limited (1931 Acquired by !ol"s#agen $rou% (199& '1 Predecessor Rolls-Royce Motors Founded 1& )anuary 1919 Founder *+ M+ ,entley + .+ ,entley ' Headquarters /re#e00 England0 nited 2ingdom Area served orld#ide Key people olfgang D4r5eimer (/5airman0 /E. '3 oolf ,arnato (/5airman 196199 Products /ontinental 7lying S%ur /ontinental $8 Mulsanne ' Production output 901:; <e5icles (:1 ;0=93 <e5icles (:11 '='> Services Automobile customisation Revenue ?10=3 million (:1 ?10119 million (:111 '= Profit ?& million (:11 -?= million (:1: '; um!er of employees 30>:: (:13 '& '9 Parent !ol"s#agen $rou% "e!site bentleymotors+com Footnotes # references '1:'11 Bentley's winged "B" badge and bonnet (hood) ornament Bentley Motors Limited (/ˈb ɛ n t li/) is a British luxury automaker, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the erman company!olkswagen #$%& ts principal actiity is the design, engineering, manufacture, and distribution of luxury automobiles sold under the Bentley mar*ue# Based in +rewe, ngland, Bentley -otors .imited was founded by W# /# Bentley on %0 1anuary %2%2 in +ricklewood near .ondon and was ac*uired by 3olls43oyce in %25%# Bentley -otors .imited is the direct successor of 3olls43oyce -otors, which !olkswagen purchased in %220# 6he purchase included the ehicle designs, model nameplates, production and administratie facilities, the 7pirit of cstasy and 3olls43oyce grille shape trademarks, but not the rights to the use of the 3olls43oyce name or logo, which are owned by 3olls43oyce 8oldings plc and were later licensed to B-W # Bentley ehicles are sold ia franchised dealers worldwide, and as of 9oember &:%&, +hina was the largest indiidual market for Bentley automobiles# $%5 -ost Bentley cars are assembled at the company's plant in +rewe, with a small number of +ontinental Flying 7purs assembled at the 6ransparent Factory in ;resden, ermany#$%< utomobile bodies for the +ontinental model line are produced in =wickau, ermany# Bentley cars are largely hand4built# Bentley cars won the &< 8ours of .e -ans in %2&<, %2&>, %2&0, %2&2, %25: and &::5# 6he current Bentley production models are the +ontinental Flying 7pur , +ontinental 6 and -ulsanne# 9otable former Bentley production models include the Bentley <? .itre,Bentley 7peed 7ix, Bentley 3 6ype +ontinental, Bentley 6urbo 3 and Bentley rnage# Contents $hide • % +ricklewood o %#% First ma@or eent A %2&& ndianapolis :: o %#& Barnato becomes chairman o %#5 6he Bentley Boys o %#< +ar models, +ricklewood o %# Cerformance at .e -ans %##% &< hours of .e -ans rand Crix d'ndurance o %#D 3eceiership, 7ale to 3olls43oyce • & 3olls43oyce ownership A ;erby o &#% +ar models, ;erby • 5 +rewe o 5#% Cost4war standard4steel saloons o 5#& Bentley +ontinental o 5#5 +ar models, +rewe • < !ickers o <#% +ar models, +rewe !ickers • !olkswagen o #% !olkswagen s# B-W o #& +ar models, +rewe !W E B-W o #5 -odern Bentleys #5#% ;elieries, profits and staff #5#& Croduction o #< +ar models, +rewe !olkswagen o # -otorsport • D 7ee also • > 3eferences • 0 Bibliography • 2 xternal links Cricklewood Before World War in +ricklewood near .ondon, Walter /wen Bentley had been in partnership with his brother 8orace -illner Bentley selling French ;FC cars, but he had always wanted to design and build his own range of cars bearing his name# t was on a isit to the ;FC factory in %2%5 that W#/# noticed an aluminium paperweight, and had the inspired idea of using the lightweight metal instead of cast iron to make engine pistons# 6he first Bentley aluminium pistons went into serice in aero engines for the 7opwith +amel during World War # n ugust %2%2, Bentley -otors .td# was registered, and a chassis with dummy engine was exhibited at the .ondon -otor 7how in /ctober of that year #$% n innoatie < ales per cylinder engine designed by exA3oyal Flying +orps officer +lie allop was built and running by ;ecember, and orders were taken for delieries starting in 1une %2&: howeer, deelopment took longer than estimated, and the first cars were not ready until 7eptember %2&%# $% 6heir durability earned widespread acclaim# ppearances were made in hill climbs and at Brooklands#$citation needed First major event – 1922 Indianapolis 500 Bentley entered the %2&& ndianapolis :: mile race as their "first ma@or eent", sending one car with works drier ;ouglas 8awkes and riding mechanic 8# 7# "Bertie" Browning# $%Dn a race dominated by specialiGed cars with ;uesenberg racing chassis, 8awkes completed the full :: miles in a modified road car, finishing %5th with an aerage speed of ><#2 mph after starting in %2th position# $%> 6he team was then rushed back to ngland to compete in the %2&& 3+ 6ourist 6rophy#$%D$%0 Barnato becomes chairman Woolf Barnato ac*uired his first Bentley (a 54litre) in %2&, @ust %& months before he also ac*uired the business itself# With this car he won numerous Brooklands races# 8e was a member of a social set of wealthy British motorists known as the " Bentley Boys" who faoured the cars of W# /# Bentley# -any were independently wealthy, often with a background in military serice# Barnato was nicknamed "Babe", in ironic deference to his heayweight boxer 's stature# 6he Bentley enterprise was always underfunded, but inspired by the %2&< .e -ans win by 1ohn ;uff and Frank +lement, Barnato agreed to finance Bentley's business# Barnato had incorporated Baromans Ltd in %2&&, which existed as his finance and inestment ehicle# !ia Baromans, Barnato initially inested in excess of H%::,:::, saing the business and its workforce# financial reorganisation of the original Bentley company was carried out and all existing creditors paid off for H>,:::# xisting shares were dealued from H% each to @ust % shilling, or I or their original alue# Barnato held %<2,:: of the new shares giing him control of the company and he became chairman# Barnato in@ected further cash into the businessJ H5,::: secured by debenture in 1uly %2&> H<:,::: in %2&0 H&,::: in %2&2# With renewed financial input, W# /# Bentley was able to design another generation of cars# he Bentley Boys Main articles: Bentley Boys and Blue Train Races %2&2 <? litre "Blower" Bentley deeloped in Welwyn arden +ity by "6im" Birkin and pushed oer W#/# to market before it was reliable group of wealthy British motorists known as the "Bentley Boys"KWoolf Barnato, 7ir 8enry "6im" Birkin, steeplechaser eorge ;uller ,aiator len Lidston, automotie @ournalist 7#+#8# "7ammy" ;ais, and ;r ;udley Ben@afield among themKkept the mar*ue's reputation for high performance alie# Bentley, located at +ricklewood, north .ondon, was noted for its four consecutie ictories at the &< 8ours of .e -ans from %2&> to %25:# n %2&2, Birkin had deeloped the lightweight Blower Bentley, including fie racing specials that started with the Brooklands racing designed Bentley Blower 9o#%# n -arch %25:, during the Blue 6rain 3aces, Woolf Barnato raised the stakes on 3oer and its 3oer .ight 7ix, haing raced and beatenLe Train Bleu for the first time, to better that record with his D?4 litre Bentley 7peed 7ix on a bet of H%::# 8e droe against the train from +annes to +alais, then by ferry to ;oer , and finally .ondon, traelling on public highways, and won# Barnato droe his 8#1# -ulliner Abodied formal saloon in the race against the Blue 6rain# 6wo months later, on &% -ay %25:, he took deliery of a 7peed 7ix with streamlined fastback "7portsman +oupM" by urney 9utting# Both cars became known as the "Blue 6rain Bentleys" the latter is regularly mistaken for, or erroneously referred to as being, the car that raced the Blue 6rain, while in fact Barnato named it in memory of his race# $%2$&: painting by 6erence +uneo depicts the urney 9utting coupM racing along a road parallel to the Blue 6rain, which scenario neer occurred as the road and railway did not follow the same route# Car models! Cric"le#ood Bentley 0 .itre <4door sports saloon • %2&%A&2 54litre • %2&DA5: <?4litre E "Blower Bentley" • %2&DA5: D?4litre • %2&0A5: D?4litre 7peed 7ix • %25:A5% 04litre • %25% <4litre 6he original model was the 54litre, but as customers put heaier bodies on the chassis, a larger <?4 litre model followed# Cerhaps the most iconic model of the period is the <?4litre "Blower Bentley", with its distinctie supercharger pro@ecting forward from the bottom of the grille# Nncharacteristically fragile for a Bentley it was not the racing workhorse the D?4litre was, though in %25: Birkin remarkably finished second in the French rand Crix at Cau in a stripped4down racing ersion of the "Blower Bentley", behind Chilippe tancelin in a Bugatti 6ype 5# 6he <?4litre model later became famous in popular media as the ehicle of choice of 1ames Bond in the original noels, but this has been seen only briefly in the films# 1ohn 7teedin the teleision series The Avengers also droe a Bentley# 6he new 04litre was such a success that when Barnato's money seemed to run out in %25% and 9apier was planning to buy Bentley's business, 3olls43oyce purchased Bentley -otors to preent it competing with their most expensie model, Chantom # $er%ormance at Le Mans Bentley 7peed 7ix 2& ho'rs o% Le Mans (rand $ri) d*+nd'rance • !"# $th (%rivate entry) (54.itre) • %2&< %st (54.itre) • !"& did not 'inish • !" did not 'inish • %2&> %st %th %>th (54.itre) • %2&0 %st th (<?4litre) • %2&2 %st (7peed 7ix) &nd 5rd <thJ (<?4litre) • %25: %st &nd (7peed 7ix) Bentley withdrew from motor