After reaching its zenith in the 1920s and 1930s, the Bentley began a long, slow decline in the 1950s. By the 1970s, the once-proud marque was reduced to a badge-engineered Rolls-Royce afterthought. Finally realizing that this was an atrocious squandering of the heritage of a storied brand, managers in Crewe […]
Tag: Bentley
1956 Bentley S1 Continental Sports Saloon
Bentley’s magnificent Continental sports saloon has been synonymous with effortless high speed cruising at its grandest since its introduction on the R-type chassis in 1952. Unlike the ordinary, factory-bodied, “standard steel” R-type, the Continental was bodied in aluminum over a steel frame and first appeared with what many enthusiasts consider […]
1924 Bentley 3/4½ Liter Sports
Recipe: Take a good 3-liter Red Label Bentley chassis, mix in a good 4½-liter engine, gearbox, and transmission and add a light body with accessories to taste. The result is a motorcar which, while still retaining a good vintage flavor, possesses a performance equaled by few other machines even of […]
1924 Bentley 3 Liter Red Label
Any slowdown in Vintage Bentley values due to the current economic climate is likely to push owners toward a cup of tea rather than Valium {vsig}2009-10_2371{/vsig} Chassis 356 was the first “Red Label” Bentley produced, and it was this model that was to lay the foundations of Bentley’s financial success. […]
1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante Coupe
It may not have been quite the “discovery” that the press suggested, but it was eagerly awaited {vsig}2009-5_2321{/vsig} Francis Richard Henry Penn Curzon succeeded to the peerage in 1929 on the death of his father, becoming the Fifth Earl Howe. At that time he resigned his seat in the […]
1929 Bentley 4½-Liter Tourer by Vanden Plas
I’d put this price down to the mystique of an auction and congratulate the owner on courage worthy of a Bentley Boy {vsig}2008-4_2157{/vsig} Walter Owen Bentley’s automotive efforts were directed from the outset toward sporting motor cars, and the initial 4-cylinder, 3-liter models proved lively until burdened with saloon bodies. […]
1931 Bentley 4½ Liter Supercharged Boattail
It never won a major race and proved almost sale-proof, but the macho Blower Bentley is Britain’s ultimate vintage sports car {vsig}2007-11_2091{/vsig} Though only 50 production Blower Bentleys were built, experts estimate that 43 still exist. Of that number, few if any are as untouched as this car. Indeed, […]
1930 Bentley 8 Litre Mayfair Coupe
To find a vintage Bentley with its original engine and original body is rare indeed-and it’s the second-to-last built Introduced at the London Motor Show in 1930, the Bentley 8-liter made an immediate impact. While the engine was an extension of the successful 6.5-liter engine that powered Bentleys to […]
1929 Bentley Speed Six Cadogan 4-Seater
{vsig}2006-11_1966{/vsig} At the end of World War I, Walter Owen Bentley gathered a small group of dedicated and skilled artisans to create Bentley Motors. The first Bentleys appeared in 1919, a group of three experimental 3-liter cars. In the following decade, the 3-liter gave way to the 4 1/2-liter, the […]
1947 Bentley Mk VI Franay Drophead Coupe
It bears no resemblance to a standard steel Mark VI, and may be the most valuable Bentley in existence This elegant 1947 Bentley Mk VI Franay Drophead Coupe, with its outrageous coachwork and curlicue trim, really belongs with Figoni et Falaschi and Saoutchik offerings at Sunday afternoon shows in the […]