Have you ever seen the winged “B” badge on the Bentley and felt like taking flight? If so, you’re not the only one! People all over the world dream of owning a Bentley and why not, you are too tall not to want it! Bentley Motors was established in England in January 1919. The founder was Walter Owen Bentley. Walter Owen was always fascinated by fuel engines and racing motorcycles, like most youngsters, and the Bentley was the result of this passion.
Bentley Motors has a history full of twists and turns, and quite an interesting one too! Let’s browse its pages.
The manufacture of the Bentley began with a car with a 3-liter engine that was very advanced for its time. It had four cylinders, a single overhead camshaft, four valves per cylinder, and dual-spark ignition via two magnetos. But it made some noise. It is said that this noise once irritated a nurse who was tending to a dying patient. To everyone’s surprise, a person present had said ‘A happy sound to die for!’. That was the beginning of the Bentley!
The Bentley was and is primarily known as a racing car. He has won many Le Mans trophies. Le Mans is a 24-hour automobile endurance event that takes place in France. It tests a car to its limits and those who can hold the grid command tremendous respect and awe in the car market. These races also provided great publicity for the Bentley. The first Bentley, the 3-litre car, entered and came in a respectable 4th place!
From then on, there was no going back and Bentley Motors went on to build some of the greatest cars ever known. Sometimes manufacturing was so slow that cars were built just before delivery, and sometimes even demo cars had to be sold. But his popularity never stopped growing. Actually, fewer people bought them due to their high prices, but still everyone secretly thought of getting control of one of these. After a few years it was announced that Bentley Motors would withdraw from racing as they were running out of money. On top of this, all the headlong racing driving was giving the common man a very bad impression about the car. Some people were wary of buying the car, seeing it as a symbol of rough driving. Somehow to break this image, Bentley Motors made a fascinating limousine passenger car. But by this time, the great depression had taken its toll on Bentley Motors, leaving it in a financial stagnation. Therefore, it was decided to sell the company. Thus Rolls Royce took over Bentley Motors in a very dramatic fashion in 1931. At the time, Bentley was Rolls Royce’s most formidable rival and the world saw this as a great deal for Rolls Royce. It was actually good news for Bentley (at least in one sense), that his baby would at least be in experienced hands. Therefore, the Bentley was actually with Bentley Motors only until 1931.
The Volkswagen Group, a German company, has owned Bentleys since 1998. Bentleys are made at the Crewe factory in England.
The various current and popular models of this car are Arnage, Azure, Continental GT, Continental Flying Spur, and Continental GTC.
Luxury, elegance and comfort characterize all Bentleys. Features like emergency fuel shutoff device, rear door child safety locks, engine immobilizer, front seatbelt height adjusters, fog lamps, anti-theft protection, airbags with occupant sensors, computers recording average speed, average fuel consumption, instantaneous fuel consumption and remaining fuel range, keyless entry operated via fob, tire pressure monitor, driver and front passenger independent climate controls, rear window defroster, heated washer system, built-in phone system with bluetooth, power folding mirrors, ashtrays, full maps, DVD with remote control, multiple speakers, headlight cleaner, leather seats, tinted glass, a variety of interior lighting, etc make the Bentley, a lovely purchase. The Azure also has a sunroof/moonroof and a removable/convertible top!
Bentley cars are immediately recognizable by the huge headlights they sport. But unlike their easy to spot features, they are very difficult and intricate to make! The Bentley is known as a highly reliable, robust and versatile car. Versatile, as it combines uncompromising luxury with enviable performance and reliability.
