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Bentley Motors

Automotive / LuxuryFounded 1919
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Acquisitions

Bentley Motors Acquisitions

4

Major Deals Covered

$700M

Disclosed Deal Value

What are Bentley Motors's biggest acquisitions?

Bentley Motors's largest disclosed acquisition here is Bentley brand and the Crewe factory (bought by Volkswagen AG) for $700M in 1998. This page covers 4 major deals from 1931 to 1998, each with its price where disclosed and the reason behind it.

Major deals covered
4
Largest deal
Bentley brand and the Crewe factory (bought by Volkswagen AG) ($700M)
First deal
1931
Most recent
1998
CompanyYearPricePurpose
Bentley Motors Limited (bought by Rolls-Royce Limited)1931UndisclosedBentley went into receivership in 1931 after the Depression hit demand and the company could not meet its mortgage payments. Rolls-Royce bought it for 125,275 pounds, bidding through a front company, the British Central Equitable Trust, so that rival Napier would not learn who was behind the offer.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd including Bentley (bought by Vickers plc)1980UndisclosedThe engineering group Vickers plc took over Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd, which then included Bentley, and chose to rebuild the Bentley name as the sporting half of the business.
H.J. Mulliner & Co. (coachbuilder)1959UndisclosedRolls-Royce bought the London coachbuilder H.J. Mulliner & Co., which had bodied Bentley chassis since the 1920s, and merged it in 1961 with Park Ward, owned since 1939, to form Mulliner Park Ward.
Bentley brand and the Crewe factory (bought by Volkswagen AG)1998$700.0MVolkswagen bid ~$568 million (430 million pounds) against BMW's ~$449 million (340 million pounds) for Vickers' car business and on 3 July 1998 took the Bentley brand, the Pyms Lane factory in Crewe and the right to use the Rolls-Royce name until the end of 2002, while BMW licensed the Rolls-Royce marque for cars from 2003.
What companies has Bentley Motors bought?
Major acquisitions by Bentley Motors documented here include Bentley brand and the Crewe factory (bought by Volkswagen AG) (1998), Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd including Bentley (bought by Vickers plc) (1980), H.J. Mulliner & Co. (coachbuilder) (1959) and Bentley Motors Limited (bought by Rolls-Royce Limited) (1931).
What is Bentley Motors's most recent acquisition?
The most recent Bentley Motors acquisition documented here is Bentley brand and the Crewe factory (bought by Volkswagen AG), in 1998, for $700M.

Bentley brand and the Crewe factory (bought by Volkswagen AG)

1998

$700M

Why

Volkswagen bid ~$568 million (430 million pounds) against BMW's ~$449 million (340 million pounds) for Vickers' car business and on 3 July 1998 took the Bentley brand, the Pyms Lane factory in Crewe and the right to use the Rolls-Royce name until the end of 2002, while BMW licensed the Rolls-Royce marque for cars from 2003.

Impact

Bentley says Volkswagen immediately invested over $1.32 billion (1 billion pounds) in the factory, which produced the W12 engine and the 2003 Continental GT and lifted output from about 1,000 cars a year to more than 10,000.

Outcome

Separated Bentley from Rolls-Royce and made it the Volkswagen Group's luxury brand.

Source →

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd including Bentley (bought by Vickers plc)

1980

Why

The engineering group Vickers plc took over Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd, which then included Bentley, and chose to rebuild the Bentley name as the sporting half of the business.

Impact

Vickers launched the 300 horsepower Mulsanne Turbo in 1982 and the Turbo R in 1985, and by 1989 half the cars leaving Crewe were Bentleys.

Outcome

Bentley overtook Rolls-Royce two to one on volume within a decade.

Source →

H.J. Mulliner & Co. (coachbuilder)

1959

Why

Rolls-Royce bought the London coachbuilder H.J. Mulliner & Co., which had bodied Bentley chassis since the 1920s, and merged it in 1961 with Park Ward, owned since 1939, to form Mulliner Park Ward.

Impact

Gave the business an in-house coachbuilding arm, which survives as Bentley Mulliner and since 2020 has run three portfolios: Coachbuilt, Collections and Classic.

Outcome

Mulliner content is now ordered by about 70 per cent of Bentley customers.

Source →

Bentley Motors Limited (bought by Rolls-Royce Limited)

1931

Why

Bentley went into receivership in 1931 after the Depression hit demand and the company could not meet its mortgage payments. Rolls-Royce bought it for 125,275 pounds, bidding through a front company, the British Central Equitable Trust, so that rival Napier would not learn who was behind the offer.

Impact

Production moved to Derby, where Bentley became the Silent Sports Car built on Rolls-Royce engineering, and the two marques stayed under one owner for 67 years.

Outcome

W.O. Bentley stayed on under contract until 1935 and then joined Lagonda.

Source →

Bentley Motors's Growth & Acquisition Strategy

Bentley's strategy is value over volume. Rather than chase unit growth it pushes Mulliner personalisation, Speed and Azure derivatives and higher revenue per car, which is why 2025 revenue slipped only 1 per cent while deliveries fell 4.8 per cent. The Beyond100 plan announced in 2020 targeted an all-electric range by 2030; Beyond100+ in November 2024 extended that to 2035 with a new plug-in hybrid or electric model each year, and in 2026 Bentley dropped the fixed date altogether while launching the electric Torcal and keeping hybrids on sale. Capital is being spent on the Crewe site rather than on new plants, funded from the brand's own profits.

How Bentley Motors Makes Money

Bentley runs a low-volume manufacturing model built on Volkswagen Group platforms and heavy personalisation. The Continental GT and Flying Spur use the MSB platform shared with the Porsche Panamera and the Bentayga uses the MLB Evo architecture shared with the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne, so Bentley avoids developing its own chassis, electronics and crash engineering. Bodies, cabins and final assembly are completed at Crewe, where a Continental GT takes around 110 hours to build and a Flying Spur or Bentayga around 130 hours. The commercial lever is Mulliner: Bentley said 70 per cent of 2024 customers chose a Mulliner option, which pushed revenue per car to a record and held 2025 revenue at ~$2.94 billion (2.6 billion euros) even as deliveries fell 4.8 per cent to 10,131 cars.

Bentley Motors Acquisitions FAQ

When did Rolls-Royce acquire Bentley Motors out of receivership?

Rolls-Royce bought Bentley Motors out of receivership in November 1931 for 125,275 pounds, bidding through a front company called the British Central Equitable Trust so that rival Napier would not learn the buyer's identity.

When did Volkswagen Group acquire Bentley Motors and the Crewe factory?

Vickers put its car business up for sale in October 1997. BMW bid ~$449 million (340 million pounds) and Volkswagen ~$568 million (430 million pounds), and on 3 July 1998 Volkswagen acquired the Bentley brand, the Crewe factory and the right to use the Rolls-Royce name until the end of 2002.

How was the ownership dispute over the Rolls-Royce and Bentley names resolved in 1998?

Volkswagen kept Crewe, the vehicle designs and the Bentley trademarks, while the aero-engine company Rolls-Royce plc licensed the Rolls-Royce car name to BMW. Volkswagen could use the Rolls-Royce name until the end of 2002, and BMW began building Rolls-Royce cars at a new Goodwood factory in 2003.

When was H.J. Mulliner & Co. integrated into Bentley Motors?

Rolls-Royce bought the coachbuilder H.J. Mulliner & Co. in 1959 and merged it in 1961 with Park Ward, owned since 1939, to form Mulliner Park Ward. The name survives as Bentley Mulliner, which since 2020 has run Coachbuilt, Collections and Classic portfolios.

How did Bentley's position inside the Volkswagen Group change?

Bentley has been owned by Volkswagen AG since 1998 and has been part of the Audi Group since January 2022, which puts it alongside Audi, Lamborghini and Ducati for platform, powertrain and software work.

What historic vehicle assets did Bentley acquire for its Heritage Collection?

Bentley has systematically acquired and restored seminal historic chassis, including the 1920 EXP2 (the oldest surviving Bentley in the world), the 1929 Team Blower #2, the 1930 8 Litre, and the 2003 Le Mans-winning Speed 8 prototype.

How does Bentley source batteries for its first electric car?

Bentley buys cells rather than making them. The Torcal uses a 113 kWh battery built from 192 lithium-ion pouch cells on an 800-volt architecture, which supports 400 kW charging and a 10 to 80 per cent charge in 16 minutes.

How does Bentley collaborate with high-end audio and design acquisition partners?

Bentley has worked with the British hi-fi company Naim since 2008 on in-car systems, including a 2,200 watt installation, and the Mulliner Virtuoso Collection audio option uses 18 speakers and two drivers. Naim and Focal also supply Bentley-branded headphones and home speakers.

Who owns Bentley?

Bentley was famously owned by its rival Rolls-Royce for decades, until a massive bidding war in 1998 resulted in the Volkswagen Group acquiring Bentley, while BMW took Rolls-Royce.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.