All you need to know about Bentley
Date of birth: 1919
Nationality: British
Bentley Motors Ltd was founded by motor racing enthusiast and aero engine engineer Walter Owen Bentley. A polished chassis was shown at the 1919 British Motor Show, a prototype was raced at Brooklands two years later, the same year the Bentley 3-litre was put into full production at Cricklewood.
Through the 1920s the company had great success in the Le Mans endurance race, winning it five times between 1924-1930. But, as happened so often in the automotive business of the time, it was forced into liquidation because of the Depression and was acquired by Rolls Royce in 1931.
After the second World War, production moved to Crewe and pressed steel bodies were introduced to replace the coach-built one-offs. Into the 1950s, the Bentley name begat what during the decade was to be considered the finest car in the world, the Continental. By the end of that decade, most of the rich and famous were Bentley owners. The car was powered by a 4.9-litre straight six engine.
W O Bentley, who had stayed on with Rolls Royce for a time to advise and help develop the cars that became ultimate status symbols after the war. But, seeing his creation being turned into rebadged RRs he left the company and joined Lagonda. His work there included developing the famous Lagonda V12 engine and the straight six for the Aston Martin DB2. He died in 1971.
The Bentley Corniches built between 1971 and 1984 were quite beautiful and priced to be exclusive, and powered by 6.7-litre V8 engines. Self-levelling rear height control took care of the weight of the luggage for the Grand Tour along the South of France area from which it was named.
The Mulsanne saloon built through the 1980s was nothing more than a less ostentatious form of the RR Silver Spirit, and by the beginning of the 1990s, Bentley (and Rolls Royce) cars had lost their reputation for refinement, having failed to take advantage of new technologies, unlike key competitors such as Mercedes-Benz. This was despite the undoubted success of the 1984-1992 Bentley 8.
During the decade, BMW became involved, supplying engines, and in 1997 the Continental T had both beauty and the brawn of an amazing 875 Nm of torque. But in 1998 Volkswagen bought the company, though it lost the Rolls Royce nameplate to BMW.
The current Bentley Continental GT is possibly the most beautiful luxury car in the world, powered by a 6-litre W12 engine outputting 552 bhp.
Best Car: Probably the current Continental GT, but this writer's favourite is the early 1960s S3 as it brings back memories of driving the drunken owner home many times.
Worst Car: Arguably the 1880s Mulsannes, but "worst" is relative.
Weirdest Car: Bentley never did weird.