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Bentley Motors is the world-famous maker of luxury, hand-crafted high
performance cars.
Our founder, W.O Bentley, set out his ambition 90 years ago: ‘To build a
good car, a fast car, the best in its class’. It is a philosophy the Company
has followed passionately ever since.
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It was in the 1920s that the marque was defined: countless victories at
Le Mans and Brooklands, the Bentley Boys and their glamorous soirees
on the French Riviera. The likes of Woolf Barnato, John Duff and Tim
Birkin created the Bentley legend and it is this colourful heritage and
spirit of excitement that still infuses the brand today.
The story of the Bentley Boys is a fascinating one and is often
chronicled. What is less well known is the Company today. How many
know that Bentley is the world’s biggest luxury car company? That it is
a full automotive producer – designing, developing and manufacturing
all its cars in Britain? That it has over 140 dealerships in 60 countries
world-wide? Or that it is one of the most successful luxury goods
brands, with sales that increased 10-fold over just 10 years?
The renaissance of Bentley began in 1998, when it became part
of Volkswagen Group. This provided access to financial and technical
resources that were not previously available. As a result, more than
£1 billion was invested in Bentley and its Crewe headquarters making
the facility fit for the 21st century.
That investment transformed the fortunes of the Company.
The combination of performance, luxury and craftsmanship were
matched to modern technology and engineering excellence,
strengthening the reputation of the cars and the Company as a whole.
A string of new products were introduced starting first with the
now-iconic Continental GT, broadening the marque’s appeal to new
customers all over the world. More recently it resulted in the new
Mulsanne – the flagship that encompasses everything for which Bentley
stands; a car we believe to be the very pinnacle of British motoring.
Yet while the Pyms Lane factory in Crewe has changed physically,
it remains dependent on the skills and craftsmanship of the people
who work there, some for generations. Today Bentley Motors draws
customers, enthusiasts and many other visitors from around the world.
This publication is designed to give an insight into that experience,
to tell the story of Bentley the Company – the plant, the products, the
people. We remain very proud of our history and heritage as well as
being confident about our future as a global automotive manufacturer.
We hope that the following pages will explain why.
Photography: Nick Dimbleby, Dominic Fraser,
Charlie Magee & David Shepherd
Thank you for your interest.
Bentley Motors
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