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Walter Owen Bentley started out as a railroad engineer apprentice but wanted to pursue his true love, motorcycle racing. As a result, Bentley Motors; Ltd. was created in 1919. Several years later Bentley began to manufacture high performance open cars and once again their focus was on racing. Between 1924 and 1931, Bentley won the 24 hour Le Mans four times. These victories solidified their reputation as well-built sports cars. This also caught the attention of Rolls Royce, Bentley's closest competitor. Through a series of events Rolls Royce was later able to acquire the company in 1931, much to the disappointment of Bentley himself. Rolls Royce later sold it to Volkswagen who still owns it today.
Bentley has always been known as a status symbol for those with a taste for extravagance and the money to support such tastes. To this day Bentley carries on that tradition. Luxury is the standard option in all of the models they create. Today's Continental GTC and Arnage have spacious, opulent interiors and drive with ease. Weighing up to 6,000 pounds, these are solidly constructed vehicles that can still achieve speed quickly. In fact, the Arnage T is one of the most powerful cars Bentley has ever made.
Bentley Cars History and Background
Bentley Cars
Bentley Motors Limited is a British car manufacturer that was founded in 1919 by W.O. Bentley. The company changed hands several times and was eventually bought by Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce produced the cars that were acquired solely under the Rolls-Royce and Rolls-Royce Motors name.
Much later, Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motors were purchased by Volkswagen (1998). However, the Rolls-Royce name had been licensed to BMW. After much negotiation the companies reached a mutual agreement the Volkswagen would produce cars under the Rolls-Royce and Bentley names until the end of 2002. Since 2002 BMW holds the sole right to produce Rolls-Royce cars.
Bentleys have always been admired for being high-performance cars and have been portrayed in various movies through the years. The car’s glamorous looks are very appealing both on screen and off.
In more recent years Bentley models include a more diverse line of cars, but the cars still uphold the true Bentley virtues of build quality, performance and style. These qualities are evident in the Bentley Arnage, Azure and Continental models.
The Bentley Arnage is a luxury, four-door sedan that was introduced in 1998 by the Volkswagen Company. The Arnage was the first fresh, new design to be introduced by Bentley since 1980. The car had received a new engine to go along with its new look. It was not the same familiar 6.75-litre V8 that had been used since the 1950s. Instead, the new Arnage received a V8 from BMW. Volkswagen didn’t like relying on BMW for the car’s engine, so in 1999 Volkswagen introduced the Arnage Red Label. Volkswagen decided to return to the original 6.75-litre Rolls-Royce engine produced by Cosworth and then Volkswagen purchased Cosworth. Production of the Arnage began in 1998 and continues to date.
The Bentley Continental also called the Bentley Corniche or the Rolls-Royce Corniche. The Continental was Rolls-Royce’s version of the Silver Shadow. The Continental was produced in both Coupe and Convertible form. The Continental convertible was discontinued in 1982. The car was outfitted with the standard Rolls-Royce V8 engine. The Cointinental was produced from 1984 to 1996. The Bentley Continental replaced the Silver Shadow Coupe and was later replaced by the Rolls-Royce Corniche and the Bentley Azure.
The original Bentley Azure was a large two-door convertible car that provided seating for four. The Bentley Azure was produced from 1995 to 2002 and the Bentley Azure Mulliner was produced from 1999 to 2003. The car comes with a 6.75-litre V8 engine, rear-wheel drive and can reach 0-60 in 6.1 seconds. The car has been featured in several popular music vehicles and ceased production in 2003.
Bentley’s have maintained high levels of performance and build quality through the years. Bentley’s are often portrayed in music videos due to their glamorous looks and wide-spread appeal.
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