Bentley

Bentley Motors Limited has a long and distinguished history that stretches over almost a century. Founded in 1919 by revered car designer and manufacturer Walter Owen Bentley, the Bentley marque is currently owned by the Volkswagen Group. Walter Owen Bentley combined his passion for racing with his skills as a designer to create the first Bentley cars. The high performance vehicles produced in these early days were immediately successful in European racing, with various models - including the 4 ? litre Blower Bentley - winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans race four times between 1923 and 1931. In spite of these triumphs, Bentley struggled to find the necessary funding for his endeavours, and was finally forced to sell the company to Rolls-Royce in 1931. Under the new owners, the Bentley 3 ? litre model – a sporting variant of the Rolls-Royce 20/25 – enjoyed a successful release, and soon became known as the “The Silent Sports Car”. Over the subsequent decades, Bentley models disappointed traditional enthusiasts and sales declined; by the 1970s, production carrying the Bentley badge had plummeted. The marque was rescued in 1980 by Vickers, who took over Bentley production and redirected the focus of the brand to high performance design, typified by the popular Bentley Mulsanne. Volkswagen took control of the company in 1998, and has produced a number of popular models over the last decade, including the Bentley Azure convertible, the luxury Bentley Arnage and a range of Bentley Continental models. Volkswagen has also resurrected the marque’s motorsports tradition, with successful appearances for Bentleys at Le Mans since 2001.