Bentley

Bentley Motors is a wholly owned subsidiary of the German company Volkswagen AG. Based in Crewe, England, Bentley Motors Limited was founded by W. O. Bentley on 18 January 1919 in Cricklewood near London and was acquired by Rolls-Royce in 1931.Bentley Motors Limited is the direct successor of Rolls-Royce Motors, which Volkswagen AG purchased in 1998. The purchase included the vehicle designs, model nameplates, production and administrative facilities, the Spirit of Ecstasy and Rolls-Royce grille shape trademarks, but not the rights to the use of the Rolls-Royce name or logo, which are owned by Rolls-Royce Holdings plc and were later licensed to BMW AG.

Bentley to Expand in Russia

June 5, 2015 Staff Comments Off

Bentley Motors has reinforced its commitment to the company’s key Russian market, by announcing the opening of its third dealership in the country’s fast-growing capital, Moscow. One of the largest and most populated cities in the world, reaching over 12 million people, Moscow has established itself as the political, economic, cultural and scientific centre of Russia. The new dealership, occupying a premium location on Volgogradskiy Prospekt 41, opened its doors on Saturday 30th May. Bentley Moscow-Volgogradskiy, a partnership with automotive retail specialists, Avilon, offers customers the full Bentley model range as well as aftersales service and the company’s branded luxury goods. It adds to Bentley’s presence in Tretyakovsky Proezd and at the Barvikha Luxury Village, with Bentley’s long-standing partner, Bentley Moscow, operated by Mercury. Commenting on the expansion, Kevin Rose, Bentley’s Member of the Board for Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, […]

Stefan Sielaff to Lead Bentley Design

June 5, 2015 Staff Comments Off

Bentley Motors today has announced Stefan Sielaff as its new Director of Design. He succeeds Luc Donckerwolke who has been with Bentley since 2012. Mr Sielaff will join Bentley on 1st July 2015 from his current dual role as Head of Volkswagen Group Interior Design and Design Director at Volkswagen Design Center Potsdam. In his role at Bentley, he will report to Rolf Frech, Bentley’s Member of the Board for Engineering. He will also retain his position as Head of Volkswagen Group Interior Design, reporting to Director of Volkswagen Group Design, Dr. Walter de Silva.

Record Applications for Bentley Apprentice Program

May 27, 2015 Staff Comments Off

After announcing the company’s largest apprentice intake in 25 years, Bentley has received more applications to join the programme than ever before. 1,285 people applied for 63 positions, with the successful candidates starting the three-year scheme in September. The second stage of the recruitment process begins now, with assessment centres and interviews taking place throughout the summer. 40 of the apprentices will be working on a newly developed manufacturing programme. A dual education system of learning, 70 per cent of time is dedicated to practical training delivered by Bentley master trainers, themselves with combined industry experience of over 100 years. The remaining 30 per cent of time will be devoted to theoretical learning within chosen professional areas. A further 23 apprentices will be based in business areas at Bentley’s global headquarters in Crewe, including Engineering, Sales and Marketing, Purchasing and […]

Top Ten Finishes for Bentley at Silverstone

May 25, 2015 Staff Comments Off

Bentley’s return to the home of British motorsport at Silverstone brought a double-top-ten finish despite a challenging race for both cars. While the pace of the Continental GT3 was good enough to try and emulate last year’s victory at the track, circumstances meant that the Bentley Boys had to settle for the satisfactory results of P6 for car #8 and P9 for car #7. After a rain-disrupted qualifying earlier in the day, Car #8 started from P17 on the grid, and Maxime Soulet drove an outstanding opening stint to move up through the field to sit P8 by lap 17. As those around him pitted under a full course yellow, Maxime stayed out to move up to P6 before pitting and handing the car to Maxi Buhk. Maxi drove a solid stint to maintain P6 overall, before being relieved of […]

Full Summer Ahead for Classic Bentleys

May 21, 2015 Staff Comments Off

Legendary cars from Bentley’s past are embarking on a tour of the world’s premier heritage and historical automotive events this summer. The ‘Blue Train’ car that famously raced the Calais-Mediterranée Express and the Team Blower that entered Le Mans in 1930 – the race ultimately won by Bentley Boys Woolf Barnato and Glen Kidston in Speed 6 ‘Old No 1’ – are among the highlights of Bentley’s curated or treasured collection. Both are celebrating anniversaries and will be on the road at numerous international events between May and October. ‘Blue Train’ Bentley This year is the 85th anniversary of that most famous Bentley Boy adventure – the Blue Train race. The car that (probably) accomplished the feat will be touring Europe with a series of high-profile appearances. In 1930 Captain Woolf Barnato, Chairman of Bentley Motors, was staying in Cannes […]

Bentley at the 2015 Nürburgring 24-Hours

May 17, 2015 Staff Comments Off

This weekend, Bentley Motorsport has experienced the toughest and most challenging 24 hour race in the world at Germany’s Nürburgring. After a very positive start that saw all three Continental GT3s entered in the race running in the top ten after two hours, the fortunes of the team changed. First, the #85 car of Guy Smith, Andy Meyrick and Steven Kane was hit and spun off the track, costing a total of five hours of recovery and repair time and dropping the team out of contention. However, after repairs, the car was one of the quickest on track for the rest of the race, climbing 72 places before the chequered flag to finish P74. After consistently running in the top ten for the first eight hours of the race, at midnight the #84 car of Lance David Arnold, Jeroen Bleekemolen […]

Bentley Marks Anniversary With Mille Miglia Run

May 12, 2015 Staff Comments Off

In 1930, ‘Bentley Boy’ Tim Birkin claimed his aborted attempt on the Mille Miglia in his legendary Blower was due to a lack of “due preparation”. 85 years on, Bentley has ensured all plans are in place for a successful Blower run in the 2015 event. ‘Bentley Boys’ the Hon. Sir Henry (Tim) Birkin and Bentley Chairman Woolf Barnato were to be the first British drivers to attempt the thousand-mile Italian test of endurance, in a supercharged ‘Bentley Blower’ known as the No. 2 ‘Birkin Blower’. According to contemporary media reports, however, ‘much disappointment was felt at the news of the Bentley withdrawal from the Brescia Thousand Miles Race’. This year, Bentley’s original 1930 4½-litre supercharged Blower is aiming to finish what its sibling never started, taking on the world-renowned cross-country route between 14 and 17 May. Director of Royal […]

Bentley Motorsport Prepares For The Green Hell

May 11, 2015 Staff Comments Off

Bentley Motorsport is making final preparations for its toughest challenge since the start of its Continental GT3 programme, the ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race, held on the most famous racetrack in the world – Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife. A pair of Works Bentleys will contest the race, joined by a third car entered by Bentley’s European Works-Supported operation, Bentley Team HTP. To perform against the extreme and unique demands of the world’s hardest endurance race, some highly experienced Nürburgring experts join the 2015 Bentley Boys. The first Works car will carry number 85, and feature a special and distinctive green livery based on that of the Bentley Speed 8 that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2003. The #85 car will be driven by the three British Bentley Boys – Guy Smith, Andy Meyrick and Steven Kane – all of […]

Bentley Team-M Sport Ready for Eurpean Racing Season

April 10, 2015 Staff Comments Off

Bentley’s motorsport season is set to continue this weekend with the first European race of the 2015 season for the works operation, Bentley Team M-Sport. The pair of Continental GT3 race cars, a new favourite amongst GT racing fans, will open their Blancpain Endurance Series accounts at Monza in Italy in a three-hour race on Sunday 12th April. Having started their season in February with a fourth place finish at the gruelling 12 Hours of Bathurst in Australia, and a second place finish in the Blancpain Endurance Series last year, Bentley is looking to challenge for the title in its second season of GT3 racing. Preparations for the contest have been extensive, with the winter off-season spent refining the setup of the Continental GT3 and recruiting three new Bentley Boys for car #8. Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush, […]

Geneva Motor Show

March 6, 2015 Staff Comments Off

Just a few more photos to round out a week filled up with the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. The 85th annual show opened to the press in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, March 3, and then opened to the public on March 5. The show continues through the next week, but it can be assumed that most of the big announcements have now been made. New Rolls Royce Serenity (AP Photo/Keystone,Sandro Campardo) Lotus Evora 400(AP Photo/Keystone,Sandro Campardo) Wolfgang Duerheimer, Chairman and Chief Executive of Bentley, presents the New Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept. (AP Photo/Keystone,Sandro Campardo) Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept(AP Photo/Keystone,Sandro Campardo) Aston Martin Vantage GT3(AP Photo/Keystone,Sandro Campardo) McLaren 675 LT(AP Photo/Keystone,Sandro Campardo) McLaren 650 S(AP Photo/Keystone,Sandro Campardo)

Bentley Unveils EXP 10 Speed 6

March 3, 2015 Staff Comments Off

(Geneva, Switzerland. 3 March 2015) Bentley unveils the future direction of luxury and performance with the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept at the Salon International De L’auto 2015. The concept is a British interpretation of a high performance two seater sportscar. From the racing success of the company’s early years to the international motorsport success of today, ‘speed’ is part of Bentley’s DNA. This inspiration is expressed throughout the EXP 10 Speed 6, where iconic Bentley design cues are fused with progressive craftsmanship techniques and modern technologies. “Making its global debut at the Geneva Show, the EXP 10 Speed 6 is the ultimate expression of our vision for Bentley’s future – a powerful, exquisite and individual concept. This one car showcases modern automotive design, highly skilled British handcrafting, the finest materials and advanced performance technology. This is not just a […]

Bentley Continental Supersports For 2010

January 4, 2010 Staff 3

Imagine you’re the successful your mom always wanted. You have cash to burn, successful career on autopilot and the mansion is finally mortgage-free, you’re in the market for a new car, one that speaks to your success and station in the community. But, you’re also in full mid-life crisis, sentimental for the tearaway youthfulness you now regret suppressing every time you open that second bottle of Chateau Lafite. Indeed, in your last act of impetuousness before children and creeping maturity reared their ugly heads, you owned an Aston Martin. Not one of these new namby-pamby ones, what with their button-down engineering and sophisticated electronics, but a real he-man-of-yesteryear Vantage with eight thundering pistons, a rock-crunching transmission and coil springs stiff enough to suspend the Golden Gate Bridge. So, you head down to your friendly neighborhood British luxury car dealership only […]