Bentley Motors
Company History
Bentley Motors History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1919 in London, United Kingdom
When was Bentley Motors founded?
Bentley Motors was founded in 1919 in London, United Kingdom by Walter Owen Bentley (W.O. Bentley) and H.M. Bentley, making it 107 years old.
- Founded
- 1919
- Founding place
- London, United Kingdom
- Founders
- Walter Owen Bentley (W.O. Bentley) and H.M. Bentley
- Headquarters today
- Crewe, Cheshire, United Kingdom
- Milestones documented
- 15 (1919–2026)
- Current CEO
- Frank-Steffen Walliser
- Acquisitions
- 4
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1919 | Bentley Motors founded in London |
| 1924 | First win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans |
| 1931 | Rolls-Royce buys Bentley out of receivership |
| 1946 | Car production starts at Pyms Lane, Crewe |
| 1952 | R-Type Continental debuts |
| 1980 | Vickers takes over and revives the Bentley name |
| 1998 | Volkswagen acquires Bentley and Crewe |
| 2003 | Le Mans win with the Speed 8 |
| 2003 | Continental GT launched |
| 2015 | Bentayga creates the luxury SUV class |
| 2020 | Beyond100 strategy announced |
| 2022 | Record financial year |
| 2024 | Last W12 built at Crewe |
| 2024 | Beyond100+ extends the plan to 2035 |
| 2026 | Torcal, the first electric Bentley |
- Where was Bentley Motors founded?
- Bentley Motors was founded in London, United Kingdom in 1919.
- Who founded Bentley Motors?
- Bentley Motors was founded by Walter Owen Bentley (W.O. Bentley) and H.M. Bentley.
- When did Bentley Motors start?
- Bentley Motors was founded in 1919.
- How old is Bentley Motors?
- Bentley Motors is 107 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
W.O. Bentley trained as a railway engineer, raced motorcycles and sold French DFP cars in London with his brother H.M. Bentley before the First World War, during which he designed the BR1 and BR2 rotary aero engines with aluminium pistons. He founded Bentley Motors on 10 July 1919 to build what he called a fast car, a good car, the best in its class. His first engine, a 3 litre with four valves per cylinder and an overhead camshaft, produced 85 bhp and about 80 mph, and the cars won Le Mans five times between 1924 and 1930, which was enough to make the marque famous and not enough to keep it solvent through the Depression.
Founders
Walter Owen Bentley (W.O. Bentley)
W.O. Bentley founded Bentley Motors on 10 July 1919 with the brief he set himself: to build a fast car, a good car, the best in its class. His first engine was a 3 litre with four valves per cylinder and an overhead camshaft, good for 85 bhp and about 80 mph, and the cars won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times between 1924 and 1930. He was an engineer rather than a financier: the Depression left the company unable to meet its mortgage payments, and in 1931 it went into receivership and was bought for 125,275 pounds by Rolls-Royce. W.O. worked under contract at Derby until 1935, where he helped develop the 3.5 litre Derby Bentley, then joined Lagonda as technical director. He died in August 1971, aged 82. Walter Owen Bentley (W.O. Bentley) was born in 1888.
H.M. Bentley
Horace Milner Bentley, known as H.M., was W.O. Bentley's elder brother and his business partner. From 1912 the two ran Bentley & Bentley in London, importing and tuning French DFP cars, and the mews they worked from is where the first 3 litre Bentley engine was assembled and run. H.M. handled the selling and administration while W.O. concentrated on engine design, and the brothers registered Bentley Motors Limited together in 1919. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Key Milestones
Bentley Motors founded in London
W.O. Bentley founded the company on 10 July 1919 and had Bentley Motors established by October that year; the first production car was delivered to Noel van Raalte in September 1921 for 1,050 pounds.
Source: bentleymedia.comFirst win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
John Duff and Frank Clement won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Bentley 3 Litre, the first of five wins for the marque in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930.
Source: bentleymedia.comRolls-Royce buys Bentley out of receivership
Financial trouble forced Bentley into receivership and Rolls-Royce bought the company for 125,275 pounds; production moved to Derby, where the 3.5 litre Silent Sports Car was built.
Source: bentleymedia.comCar production starts at Pyms Lane, Crewe
Bentley moved car production to the Pyms Lane factory in Crewe, built in 1938 to make Merlin aero engines, and the Mark VI was the first model built there as a complete car.
Source: bentleymedia.comR-Type Continental debuts
The Mulliner-bodied R-Type Continental arrived with a top speed just under 120 mph, making it the fastest four-seater in the world and the design ancestor of the modern Continental GT.
Source: bentleymedia.comVickers takes over and revives the Bentley name
Vickers plc acquired Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd, including Bentley, and relaunched the marque as the sporting brand with the 300 horsepower Mulsanne Turbo in 1982 and the Turbo R in 1985.
Source: volkswagen-group.comVolkswagen acquires Bentley and Crewe
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, ending 67 years of shared ownership with Rolls-Royce.
Source: volkswagen-group.comLe Mans win with the Speed 8
Bentley returned to Le Mans and finished first and second with the EXP Speed 8, Tom Kristensen, Rinaldo Capello and Guy Smith taking the marque's sixth win 73 years after the previous one.
Source: 24h-lemans.comContinental GT launched
The Continental GT, with a 552 bhp 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 and all-wheel drive, became the first car of the modern Bentley era and created the modern luxury grand tourer segment.
Source: bentleymedia.comBentayga creates the luxury SUV class
Bentley launched the Bentayga, its first SUV and fourth model line at the time, which has been the brand's best-selling model ever since.
Source: bentleymedia.comBeyond100 strategy announced
In its highest-selling year to that point, 11,206 cars, Bentley announced the Beyond100 strategy to be carbon neutral by 2030 and to switch the whole range to battery electric power.
Source: bentleymedia.comRecord financial year
Bentley posted its best results, with operating profit of ~$800 million (708 million euros), up 82 per cent, on turnover of ~$3.82 billion (3.38 billion euros) and a record 15,174 cars delivered.
Source: bentleymedia.comLast W12 built at Crewe
Bentley hand-built its final 12-cylinder engine in July 2024, more than 100,000 W12s after the engine's 2003 debut, replacing it with the 782 PS Ultra Performance V8 hybrid.
Source: bentleymedia.comBeyond100+ extends the plan to 2035
On 7 November 2024 Bentley extended Beyond100 to Beyond100+, moving the all-electric ambition from 2030 to 2035, keeping plug-in hybrids on sale and confirming its first electric car for 2026.
Source: bentleymedia.comTorcal, the first electric Bentley
Bentley revealed the Torcal in London on 23 September 2026, a fully electric SUV and the fourth model line in the current range, priced from about 173,000 pounds with deliveries from 2027.
Source: cnbc.comMajor Acquisitions
Bentley Motors Limited (bought by Rolls-Royce Limited)
1931Bentley 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)
1980The 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)
1959Rolls-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)
1998Volkswagen 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.
Keep researching Bentley Motors
Bentley Motors Company History FAQ
What are the major historical eras of Bentley Motors?
Bentley's history is divided into six distinct eras: the Cricklewood Vintage Era (1919 to 1931), the Rolls-Royce Derby Era (1931 to 1939), the Crewe Factory Post-War Era (1946 to 1980), the Vickers Turbo Revival (1980 to 1998), the Volkswagen Group Renaissance (1998 to 2020), and the Beyond100 Electrification Era.
When did Bentley move its manufacturing operations to Crewe, England?
Bentley moved to its historic Pyms Lane factory in Crewe, Cheshire, in 1946. The site was originally built in 1938 as a shadow factory to manufacture Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engines during World War II before being converted to luxury car production.
What was the Bentley R-Type Continental and why is it historically significant?
Introduced in 1952, the Bentley R-Type Continental was a lightweight, aerodynamic four-seat grand tourer capable of reaching 120 mph, making it the fastest four-seat production car in the world at the time and establishing the design DNA for the modern Continental GT.
How did the 1982 Bentley Mulsanne Turbo spark the brand's revival?
By 1980 Bentleys were close copies of Rolls-Royce models. Vickers, which had bought the business that year, launched the turbocharged Mulsanne Turbo in 1982 with 300 horsepower, 50 per cent more than the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, and followed it with the Turbo R in 1985. By 1989 half the cars built at Crewe were Bentleys.
How did the 2003 Continental GT transform Bentley into a modern luxury leader?
Launched in 2003 under Volkswagen Group ownership, the Continental GT featured a 552-hp 6.0L twin-turbo W12 engine and all-wheel drive. Priced around £110,000, it increased Bentley's annual production from ~1,000 cars to over 10,000 cars, redefining the ultra-luxury segment.
When did Bentley win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the modern era?
Bentley returned to Le Mans in 2001 and finished third, then won the race on 15 June 2003 with a one-two finish for the EXP Speed 8, the winning car driven by Tom Kristensen, Rinaldo Capello and Guy Smith. It was the marque's sixth Le Mans win, 73 years after the previous one.
What was the significance of the Bentley State Limousine built for Queen Elizabeth II?
In 2002, to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee, Bentley Mulliner handcrafted two bespoke State Limousines with armored bodywork, high-roof panoramic glass cabins, and a 6.75-liter V8 engine, serving as the official British royal state vehicles.
What is Bentley's long-term environmental target for the Crewe factory site?
Bentley aims for its entire Crewe manufacturing facility to become 'Climate Positive' by 2030, actively reducing carbon emissions, eliminating all landfill waste, and generating more renewable energy than the site consumes.
When was Bentley founded?
Bentley was founded in 1919 in Cricklewood, North London, by W.O. Bentley, famously achieving early legendary status by dominating the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1920s.
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