Bentley Continental

Bentley has used the Continental name on several generations of luxury automobiles since 1952.

From 1952 to 1965

Following World War II, Bentley moved to resume production of civilian automobiles, and its factory was relocated to Crewe, England from Derby. There, Bentley engineers produced so-called R-Type Continentals for three years, from 1952 to 1955. These were derivatives of the original R-Type, the second series in Bentley's postwar luxury lineup.

The R-Type Continental's chassis was independently produced and sold to custom coach-builders. One of the world's most expensive automobiles, only about 208 R-Type Continentals were built in total.

Following the R-Type Continental, the Continental S1, S2 and S3 were released consecutively beginning in 1955. The S1 was well received, 49 being built though some reviewers considered the boot space inadequate. The deficiency was addressed on later vehicles. The S2, unveiled in 1959, debuted with a new L Series V-8 engine, still used in contemporary Bentleys like the Mulsanne. It also incorporated air conditioning and standard power steering, considered cutting-edge amenities at the time. The S3, for its part, was distinguishable by its "four-headlamps in the front wings."

Bentley Continental GT

The Bentley Continental GT is a grand tourer produced by British automaker Bentley Motors since 2003. It was the first car released by Bentley under Volkswagen AG-management after their acquisition of the company in 1998, and the first ever Bentley to employ "mass production" manufacturing techniques. It shares a platform with the Volkswagen Phaeton.

The Continental GT has transformed the company into a major global brand.

Origin

In 1994 Rolls Royce Motors (who at that time owned the Bentley brand) previewed a convertible concept car at the Geneva Motor Show - the Concept Java. The car was designed to be a highly desirable Bentley, but smaller, more affordable, yet still exclusive in order to maintain the integrity of the brand. It was to appeal to a new range of potential buyers and generate increase sales volume for Rolls Royce (at the time the current Bentley Continental R was an ultra-exclusive £180,000 in the UK, within reach of a very select market selling only 2-300 units a year). The Concept Java never made it into production in the form seen in 1994 (although 13 cars were made for the Sultan of Brunei). However the Bentley Continental GT realised the concept of the Java as a more affordable Bentley, manufactured in much larger volumes. Whilst external styling is different, the dashboard design was clearly influenced by the Java.

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Bentley

Bentley Motors Limited (/ˈbɛntli/) is a British registered company that designs, develops, and manufactures Bentley luxury motorcars which are largely hand-built. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG. Now based in Crewe, England, Bentley Motors Limited was founded by W. O. Bentley on 18 January 1919 in Cricklewood, North London.

Bentley cars are sold via franchised dealers worldwide, and as of November 2012, China was the largest market.

Most Bentley cars are assembled at the Crewe factory, but a small number of Continental Flying Spurs are assembled at the factory in Dresden, Germany. and bodies for the Continental are produced in Zwickau, Germany.

Bentley won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, and 2003.

Iconic Bentley models include the Bentley 4½ Litre, Bentley Speed Six, Bentley R Type Continental, Bentley Turbo R, and Bentley Arnage. As of 2015, Bentley produce the Continental Flying Spur, Continental GT, and Mulsanne.

Rolls-Royce bought Bentley from the receivers in 1931 and subsequently sold it to Vickers plc in 1980 when Rolls-Royce themselves went bankrupt. In 1998, Vickers sold it to Volkswagen AG. The sale 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 Rolls-Royce name or logo which are owned by Rolls-Royce Holdings plc and were licensed to BMW AG.

Continental

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