History of Bentley

Bentley Motors was established in 1919 in the North London neighborhood of Cricklewood. Walter Owen Bentley, the company’s originator, was born to Australian parents in London in 1888. As an engineer for Great Northern Railway, he honed his skills. Walter, also known as W.O., and his brother Horace founded a company in 1912. They promoted automobiles for the French firm Doriot, Flandrin & Parant.

The Cricklewood, their first automobile, was released in 1921. It was an immediate success due to its durability. It became immediately popular for use in races and on difficult routes. When the Great Depression began in 1929, fewer individuals purchased luxury vehicles. This posed a threat to the company’s finances. 

Adrian Hallmark is the CEO of Bentley Motors. His company car is pretty cool, even for a top official. Even though his butler might drive him around in a Bentley Bentayga SUV every day, the car that comes with his title is even better. It’s a beautiful, black 1930 Bentley 8 Litre grand tourer.

Not just any Bentley 8 Litre, either. This was the personal car of W.O. Bentley, the man who started Bentley. Between 1930 and 1932, he drove it thousands of miles around the U.K. and continental Europe.

When Rolls Royce bought Bentley, Bentley was still working and creating cars for the company. When his contract ended in 1935, he left the company. He went to work for Lagonda, where he helped make cars that were “Bentleys in all but name.”

By the end of the twentieth century, Bentley and its parent company had two owners. The British government took over Rolls-Royce after the company lost a lot of money building the RB211 jet engine. The Rolls-Royce automobile division was spun off into its own firm, Rolls-Royce Motors Limited. Vickers plc purchased this company in 1980. 

Meanwhile, Bentley sales have plummeted to an all-time low. When Vickers took over, Bentley reverted to its former reputation as an expensive sports vehicle, and sales rose. The so-called Bentley revival, on the other hand, did not begin until 1998, when the Volkswagen Group purchased Rolls-Royce Motors Limited.

Queen Elizabeth II received an official Bentley State Limousine to commemorate her Golden Jubilee in 2002. Because they were so popular, there was once a one-year wait list for new Bentleys to be sent.

In 2007, Bentley sales reached 10,000 vehicles per year, continuing an upward trend. Despite a decline in income in the subsequent years, they are currently making money again.

Two years after its introduction, the Bentayga remains Bentley’s most popular vehicle. With the introduction of a more affordable and potent V8 variant, its allure has increased even further. And the 2019 Bentayga Hybrid, with its 3.0-liter V-6 engine, electric actuators, and 31-mile zero-emission range, is Bentley’s most innovative vehicle to date. It will serve the organization for the next century.