A lot of personalities just want money, fame, power, fancy cars, and houses all over the world and have people bow down to them. To me, that is frightful conduct. But when it comes to fancy cars, buy a Bentley automobile.
The unbeatable speed of a Bentley Continental
Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley and also known as W.O. Bentley or just “W.O.”. Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later versions of the Sopwith Camel. Since 1998, the company has been owned by the Volkswagen Group of Germany. Before World War I, W.O. Bentley had been in partnership with his brother H.M. Bentley selling French DFP cars, but he had always wanted to design and build his own range of cars bearing his name. In August 1919, Bentley Motors Ltd. was registered, and a chassis with dummy engine was exhibited at the London Motor Show in October of that year. An engine was built and running by December, and orders were taken for deliveries starting in June 1920; however, development took longer than estimated, and the first cars were not ready until September 1921.
It was on a visit to the DFP factory in 1913 that W.O. noticed an aluminium paperweight, and had the inspired idea of using the lightweight metal instead of cast iron to make engine pistons. The first Bentley aluminium pistons went into service in aero engines for the Sopwith Camel during the Great War.
The company was always underfunded, and Bentley turned to millionaire Woolf Barnato for help in 1925. As part of a refinancing deal, which resulted in his effectively owning the company, Barnato became chairman.
The luxurious front interior of a 2005 Bentley Arnage T
While a great deal of Woolf Barnato’s fortune had been devoted to keeping Bentley afloat, the Great Depression destroyed demand for the company’s expensive products and it was finally sold to Rolls-Royce in 1931.
Rolls-Royce acquired Bentley secretly using an entity named the British Central Equitable Trust; not even Bentley himself knew the true identity of the purchaser until the deal was completed. A new company, wholly owned by Rolls-Royce, was formed as Bentley Motors (1931) Ltd. Unhappy with his new subordinate role, W.O. Bentley left to join Lagonda in 1935 when his contract was up for renewal. The Cricklewood factory was closed and sold, and production moved to the Rolls-Royce works in Derby.
When the new Bentley 3.5 Litre appeared in 1933, it was a sporting variant of the Rolls-Royce 20/25, which disappointed some traditional customers yet was well-received by many others. Even Bentley himself was reported as saying, “Taking all things into consideration, I would rather own this Bentley than any other car produced under that name”.
After World War II, production of Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars was moved to an ex-wartime engine factory in Crewe, Cheshire. Bentleys increasingly became slightly lower priced Rolls-Royces sans the Rolls’ distinctive square-shouldered grille. By the 1970s and early 1980s sales had fallen badly; at one point less than 5% of combined production carried the Bentley badge.
The real beauty of a Bentley Continental GT
During this period Rolls-Royce’s parent company faltered, failing completely in 1970 following problems with aero engine development. The motorcar division was floated off and became Rolls-Royce Motors Ltd., which remained independent until bought by Vickers in August 1980. Under Vickers, Bentley began to regain its high-performance heritage, typified by the 1980 Mulsanne. Bentley’s restored sporting image created a renewed interest in the name and sales as a proportion of combined company output began to rise. By 1986 the Rolls-Royce: Bentley ratio had reached 60:40; by 1991 it achieved parity.
Bentley Motors, like all other things in this world has its own history, telling how people crave for achieving such great victory. As you can see, this Bentley had undergone so many developments and enhancements just to let people experience an indescribable feeling while riding in its cabin. Buy a Bentley, one is good enough but more is better. Enjoy the soothing feeling while riding the car of your dreams.
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