Bentley Timeline – The Story of Bentley

1919
January – Bentley Motors is established with H.M. and W.O. Bentley and H.M.J. Ward as directors
October – The first Bentley is completed. The 3-litre is built in a workshop near Baker Street, London, and powered by a 65bhp four-cylinder 16-valve engine. The car is the first to carry Bentley’s hallmark radiator casing and flying ‘B’ insignia.

1921
May – Bentley achieves its first racing success with Frank Clement victorious at Brooklands.
September – Noel van Raalte takes delivery of the first production Bentley, a 3-litre saloon with bodywork by Easter. Built at a new factory in Cricklewood, it cost £1,050.

1923
May – John Duff and Frank Clement drive a privately-entered 3-litre to fourth place in the first 24-hour Le Mans race. W.O. Bentley makes a last minute decision to attend the race, a trip that changes the course of Bentley history.

1924
June – Now competing with official Bentley backing, Duff and Clement return to Le Mans and win outright.

1926
May – Bentley’s financial difficulties are eased with new investment from Woolf Barnato, who becomes company chairman. W.O. Bentley is appointed managing director.

1927
June – Sammy Davis and Dr Dudley Benjafield nurse a badly damaged 3-litre home for an epic victory in the Le Mans 24-hour race. A 4 ½ -litre prototype Bentley crashes out of the race while leading.

1928
June –  Woolf and Bernard Rubin deliver Bentley’s third Le Mans win, driving the 4 ½ -litre ‘Old Mother Gun’.
September – The ‘Speed Six’ high performance 6 ½ -litre Bentley is revealed.

1929
June – ‘Speed Six’ Bentleys claim the top four places at Le Mans. Race winners are Barnato and Tim Birkin.

1930
June – Barnato and Glen Kidston are winners and another ‘Speed Six is placed second at the last Le Mans race Bentley will enter for 71 years.
September – The ultimate Bentley, the 8-litre, is launched, powered by a six-cylinder engine producing 240bhp. Only 100 examples were built.

1931
July – Bentley Motors calls in the receivers.
November – Rolls-Royce buys the Bentley Motors business, thwarting an attempt by Napier to acquire the assets. W.O. Bentley remains with the company.

1933
August – Debut of the first Rolls-Royce-produced Bentley, the 3 ½ -litre. Built at Derby, it is based on a highly modified Rolls-Royce 20/25 chassis.

1939
February – A 4 ¼ -litre Bentley is built to special order with aerodynamic bodywork and goes on to provide a demonstration of high-speed cruising ability on Continental motorways. Named the Embiricos Bentley after its Greek owner, it creates a new Bentley design language.
May – Launch of the Bentley MkV, equipped with the 4 ½ -litre engine and independent front suspension.

1946
May – Bentley and Rolls Royce move its production to the Crewe factory.
The Bentley MkVI is launched. It is the first Bentley to feature a pressed steel body also the first to be built from standard Rolls-Royce components.

1957
October – The lightweight Mulliner-bodied four-door Bentley Continental Flying Spur is launched.

1959
September – The Bentley S2 is announced. It uses an all-new 6.2-litre aluminium V8 engine, replacing the six-cylinder unit originally developed for Rolls-Royce models in the 1920s.

1965
October – The Bentley T Series is launched, almost identical in appearance to the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. It features a one-piece body, independent suspension and disc brakes. A two-door version follows six months later.

1970
July – The V8 engine is re-engineered to increase capacity to 6 ¾ litres – the size it has remained to this day.

1971
March – Both the Bentley T Series and Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow two-door saloon and drophead models are renamed Corniche.
August – W.O. Bentley dies. He was 82.

1977
February – The four-door Bentley T2 is announced, priced at £22,800 – the same as its Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II equivalent.

1980
October – Bentley’s Le Mans heritage is echoed in the name Mulsanne, given to the new development of the T Series. It is a bigger car inside and out and benefits from a new rear suspension design.

1982
March – The high-performance Bentley Mulsanne Turbo is announced, capable of nought to 60mph acceleration in seven seconds and a 135mph top speed.

1985
May – The legendary Bentley Mulsanne Turbo R is launched, the fastest road-going Bentley yet.

1991
March – Unveiling of the Bentley Continental R, the first Bentley model with its own, dedicated body since the1954 R-Type Continental.

1994
August – The Bentley range is extended with the Turbo S and Continental S versions. Enjoying a substantial increase in power, they are able to move from rest to 60mph in less than six seconds.

1996
March – The 400bhp Bentley Continental T becomes the marque’s most powerful road car. The Bentley Turbo R Sport is introduced at the same time.

1998
April – The Bentley Arnage is announced. Sharing the same body as the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph, it is powered by a BMW V8 twin-turbocharged engine.
July – Volkswagen AG completes the purchase of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars for almost £480 million. BMW buys the rights to the Rolls-Royce name and it is announced that from midnight on December 31st 2002 Bentley and Rolls-Royce will be separate companies once again, after 67 years together.
October – Volkswagen AG announces it is to invest £500 million in the Bentley marque, its Crewe factory and the building of an all-new Bentley.

1999
September – The Bentley Arnage Red Label is launched, marking the return of the 6 ¾ -litre V8 engine to the range.

2000
November – Bentley announces it is to return to competition at Le Mans.

2001
January – The Bentley EXP Speed 8 race car is presented at the Detroit Motor Show.
June – Bentley enters two EXP Speed 8s at Le Mans. The team of Andy Wallace, Eric van de Poele and Butch Leitzinger finishes third, bringing Bentley back to the podium for the first time in 71 years.
December – Bentley announces it will build the new State Limousine, to be presented by the British motor industry to The Queen to mark her golden jubilee in 2002. It will be the first Bentley to be used for state occasions.

2002
June – First design details of the Bentley Continental GT are released, the most important new Bentley since the original 3-litre of 1919. A single Bentley is entered at Le Mans and finishes the race in fourth place.
September – The company is once more known by its original name: Bentley Motors. The Continental GT name is confirmed and the car, a design concept model, makes its world debut at the Paris Motor Show and earns huge critical acclaim.
October – The Continental GT’s UK debut at the British International Motor Show earns it the Car of the Show and the Luxury Car awards from the Institute of Vehicle Engineers.

2003
June – Bentley 1st & 2nd at Le Mans and CGT makes its dynamic debut at Le Mans. 2003 Le Mans winners recreate 1927 celebratory dinner.

2005
January – The Arnage Drophead Coupe is announced at the Los Angeles Motor Show.
September – The Arnage Drophead Coupe was renamed the Bentley Azure at the Frankfurt Motor Show when Bentley confirmed that the model would go into production.

2006
April – Bentley launches both the Continental GTC and the new Azure.

2007
March – The new Bentley Brooklands is unveiled at Geneva Motor Show.
A Bentley Continental GT, driven by four-times World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen, smashes the world ice speed record, reaching an average speed of 199.86mph (321.65km/h).

2008
July –MY09 Continental Flying Spur and Continental Flying Spur Speed make international debut at the British Motor Show
November – Bentley introduces new Azure T model.

2009
January – Bentley showcases its fastest ever production model, the Continental Supersports.
July – The Bentley apprenticeship scheme was announced as the UK national apprentice employer of the year.
August – The Bentley Mulsanne, the company’s all-new flagship grand tourer, was unveiled at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance.

2010
September – The second generation Continental GT is unveiled, building on the range’s previous success.
November –Wolfgang Dürheimer is appointed Bentley’s new Chairman and Chief Executive, joining from Porsche AG.

2011
August – The second generation Continental GTC is revealed at the International Automobile Exhibition (IAA) in Frankfurt.

2012
January – The North American International Auto Show in Detroit see the reveal of the Continental V8 range.
March –The Bentley EXP 9F SUV concept is unveiled to great global interest at the Geneva International Salon d’Auto stating it’s intention for a third model line.
June – Bentley announces a new Chairman and Chief Executive will join the company in September, Dr Wolfgang Schreiber.
Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin’s dramatic 4 ½ Litre Supercharged ‘Blower’ single seat racing machine reaches a sale price of £4.5 million when auctioned by Bonhams at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Bentley introduces its fastest ever production model, the Continental GT Speed, capable of reaching 205 mph (329 km/h).
September – Ten years since the Continental GT concept was launched at the Paris Motor Show, Bentley unveils the Continental GT3 concept racer, marking a return to motorsport for the first time since an historic Le Mans victory in 2003.
November – The Bentley Continental GTC receives the prestigious Auto Trophy award for “Imported Convertibles over 30,000 Euros”, voted by the readers of Auto Zeitung” magazine, with over 100,000 people participating in this year’s survey.”

2013
January – Bentley announces a global growth of 22% as deliveries increased to 8,510 cars in 2012.
January – The fastest four-seat convertible in the world is added to Bentley’s model line-up, the Continental GT Speed Convertible. The car offers exhilarating supercar performance from an uprated 625 PS (616 bhp) W12 engine and eight-speed transmission.
January – New specifications are added to the 14 model year Mulsanne, with a new Comfort and Entertainment specification introduced, as well as new paint and hide colours and bespoke Mulsanne Fitted Luggage.