Bentley Cars
If eventful was the sporting life of Motor Co. bentley. During the twenties, it was less its financial development. The mark founding William Owen Bentley on January 18, 1919, with a meagre capital of twenty thousand pounds, escaped from their control just six months later, when he had to give entry to a new group of investors to increase capital Social up to one hundred thousand pounds. However W.O. Bentley continue at the head of the technical department, because in the end it was one of the best designers that has given Blonde Albion and, therefore, was the best asset of the company.
Despite sound victories at Le Mans or in the Tourist Trophy, and the prestige gained in a very short time, the company was found Bentley again without financial resources in 1926. It was then acquired by Wolf Barnato, a prominent sportsman engine and lover of the Hispano-Suiza, which had achieved major victories. For example, one of the first Boulogne eight litres Barnato beat in 1924 five records on the track Brooklands.
He tandem W. Barnato – W.O. Bentley resulting in two great sports cars of six and eight liters, whose engines had many points in common with the famous H6B and H6C of Hispano-Suiza, including not only the cubicaje but also the levels of cylinders. The charisma of the Bentley Motor Co.. Continued to increase every day, but company accounts were not consistent with their merits or efforts. And so again in 1931 its treasury again be in a quagmire.
In autumn had begun talks to partner with the house when Napier, unexpectedly, the Rolls-Royce bought a majority of shares in the Bentley and achieved its control. Did it mean a sudden passion for the world of careers? One hypothesis hardly credible, coming from a firm that had never wanted to compromise their cars in any competition.
No, what is the Rolls meant it was actually eliminating a troublesome competitor to grab exclusively to customers at the highest level of society. And it is that, despite all its vicissitudes of the Bentley cars had earned the appreciation of a very privileged. Those who prefer elegance to his fine baroque ostentation, which gave priority to the genius exciting on the boring reliability, given the idiosyncrasies of the British elite, it implied as much as say the crème de la crème.
W.O. Bentley was bound by several contracts to the mark that it had created, but also the directors of the Rolls drafted another agreement that prohibits him appear under its own name in the manufacture of any motor car or aircraft for ten years. This is not intended to grab his wit, as it seemed logical because, after many promises, the only thing that was allowed to exercise Bentley was acting as tester car. This also shows that the real intention was to avoid any possible competition that may arise from that brain privileged.
After a long stage full of frustrations, W.O. Bentley got resign and leave his mark, while his freedom of action had been severely limited by the absurdities contractual commitments. Later worked with the factory Lagonda, which conducted a special twelve-cylinder engine in 1937, and later, the edge of the Second World War, another six-cylinder with double tree cam in the head. This despite the fact that the Rolls harassed him in court, to prevent any of the new creations of WO Bentley bear his name.
Throughout the thirties, Rolls moved the manufacture of Bentley cars to their factories Derby and launched two new models of six cylinders, one containing 3.5 litres in 1933 and the other with 4.5 liters in 1936. Although her pregnancy had nothing to do WO Bentley, in truth we must recognize that these cars are advertised as The Silent Sports Car (Sports silent) appeared to continue with the traditional spirit of the brand. Fine, fast and equipped with elegant bodywork Park Ward & Thrupp Maberly, Mulliner, James Young and other famous masters, were worthy successors. The downside is that it would be the last.
“A ninety miles per hour Bentley glides like a billiard ball on the table […] without any perceived effort or that the noise caused by the action of wind on the body.” At these terms expressing magazine about The Motor the first model built by the English firm after its absorption by Rolls-Royce. This operation had generated considerable controversy among the public, and speculation about how would the new Rolls-Bentley (incorrect brand name that strove unsuccessfully to correct it) did not end until October 1933, when it was introduced by officially in the Hall in London.
Although after the departure of WO. Bentley competition was not part of the programme Rolls-Royce/Bentley, some pilots decided to intervene in a number of tests on their own. The best of them all was Eddie R. Hall, which he finished second twice in the Tourist Trophy Ulster (in 1934 and 1935)) running with its 3.5-Litre equipped with a special aerodynamic bodywork built by ED Abbot. In 1936, pilots the same vehicle, once again came second, but on this occasion assembled a new 4 ¼ liter engine that, with their higher power (167 hp) and compression ratio (9:1), allowed him to achieve a top speed of 193 km / h. That was a propellant superpreparada version of which had created engineers factory Derby at the end of 1935 with the aim of countering a trend increasingly prevalent among British coach: excessively burdening the racks installed bodywork very luxurious but too heavy for the engine power.
The 3.5-Litre Bentley, one of the main victims of this phenomenon, he was able to overcome this unwanted obesity thanks to the increase in the diameter of the cylinders (82.5 mm fell to 88.9), winning more than half a litre (588 cc), some PS and better torque values with respect to the original version. In return, an average consumption of 21 litres per 100 km. The compression ratio stood at around 7,5:1, although it could vary by both down, in the versions of the North American market (due to the anti-then rules already existing in some states), for up some units ready for the competition. It was the new 4 1 / 4-Litre. This vehicle retained the overall features of 3.5, and like his predecessor served as a rolling chassis (which cost 1,150 pounds sterling), which was prepared for each customer could order a body to your liking and the specialist who elect.
One of the most spectacular achievements that took place on the model in question was the almost legendary Bentley 4 1/4.-Litre Embiricos, bodywork by the young French singer Georges Paulin as coupé ultralight, aerodynamic lines much of their time ( even used the wind tunnel to achieve the best possible Cx) on behalf of a Greek shipowner named Nicky Embiricos. This model could reach the 195 km / h speed limit through its more than 140 hp.
In 1939, this unique vehicle competed in track Brooklands led by GTE Eyston, covering the race at an average of 185 km / h. Ten years later, the same car finished in sixth place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 1949 edition. The following year he was ranked the 14 th and 1951 (the last time a Bentley took part in the legendary French test) finished outside the statutory time but ended up giving proof of the strength that characterized the brand.
However, that the feat had not been Embiricos not even the swan song for the model 4 ¼-Litre. In 1939 Bentley gave hear an improved version, the Mark V. The version of the classic 4 ¼-Litre then cease to make way for the new Mark V, but with the outbreak of World War 2 only twenty units were completed before the factory was forced to close its doors for a five-year period.
In the forties, after ending the Second World War, Rolls-Royce has changed its plans regarding Bentley cars. Trasladó their production to a new factory at Crewe. However, instead of creating new models with the sporty style that mark, thereafter became merely a variation within the same model Rolls, which differed only by the grille and anagrams. The luxurious and comfortable but equally boring, without a glimmer of genius or aggressiveness.
The first such Bentley was born in 1946 under the name Mark VI. It was a mechanical at all similar to the Silver Wraith Rolls, dressed in a heavy body type saloon that was manufactured in series at home.