Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury automobiles and Grand
Tourers. Bentley Motors was founded in England on January 18, 1919 by Walter Owen
Bentley, known as W.O. Bentley or just "W.O." (1888–1971). He was previously
known for his successful range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most
famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later versions of the Sopwith Camel. Since
1998 the company has been owned by the Volkswagen Group.
Before
World War I W.O. Bentley had been in partnership with his brother H.M. Bentley
selling French D.F.P. cars but he had always wanted to design and build his own
range of cars bearing his own name. In August 1919 Bentley Motors Ltd was registered
and a chassis, with dummy engine, was exhibited at the London Motor Show
in October that year. An engine was built and running by December and orders
taken for deliveries starting in June 1920. However, development took longer than
estimated and the first cars were not ready until September 1921.
The
company was always underfunded and Bentley turned to millionaire Woolf Barnato
for help in 1925. As part of a re-financing deal, leaving him effectively
owning the company, Barnato became chairman. A great deal of Barnato's fortune
was devoted to keeping Bentley afloat but the Great Depression destroyed demand
for the company's expensive products, and it was finally sold to Rolls-Royce in
1931. |
