With the summer over and the nights drawing in, I often find myself wondering about the health and well-being of that most historic of marques, Bentley. So it was with a certain amount of joy that I was able to put aside my concerns when their latest press release arrived. Here at MotorMartin the focus is, of course, on ‘real life’ motoring, it’s about what we find when digging down into the practicalities and versatility of a vehicle but every now and again it becomes necessary to just celebrate the history and successes of some of our biggest brands.
Bentley Motors Limited was founded by W. O. Bentley on 18 January 1919 in Cricklewood, North London and after periods of expansion and decline has risen again to become one of the most sought after luxury car brand in the world. The company’s headquarters in Crewe is home to all of its operations including design, R&D, engineering and production of the company’s three model lines, Continental, Flying Spur and Mulsanne. The combination of fine craftsmanship, using skills that have been handed down through generations, alongside engineering expertise and cutting-edge technology is unique to UK luxury car brands such as Bentley. It is also an example of high-value British manufacturing at its best
Bentley Motors have recently enjoyed an exciting and successful weekend at the 17th Jochpass Oldtimer Memorial and Historic-Rallye in Bad Hindelang, Germany where four historic Bentleys competed in the world-renowned classics event between 9 and 11 October, including the Team ‘Blower’, R-Type Continental, Speed 6 and a Bentley 4,5 Litre Le Mans. About 18,000 enthusiastic spectators were in attendance to admire the 280 classic cars on show.
Wolfgang Dürheimer, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, said of the event: “Bentley has a long and famous heritage and these classic models represent the DNA and spirit of the brand today. We were delighted to have raced our historic models this weekend to classic car enthusiasts and Bentley fans. Our appetite for competition is one of the reasons we go racing and our growing motorsport programme now successfully competes on four continents.”
The scenic rallye took the drivers on course around the picturesque town of Bad Hindelang. The Oldtimer Memorial race ran a 7,9 kilometre route to the which covered an ascent of over 360 metres and 105 turns up the mountain turns.
Robert Engstler, Regional Director Europe at Bentley Motors commented: “The Jochpass Oldtimer Memorial is just the starting point for Bentley’s heritage race participation. We are already committed to classic rallies all over Europe in 2016, including the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, Le Mans Classic, Ennstal-Classic and Kitzbueheler Alpenrallye.”
At the same time, the final race of the Blancpain Sprint Series took place in Zandvoort, The Netherlands. Bentley’s latest race car, the Continental GT3, and the Bentley Team HTP Motorsport celebrated the Driver’s Title for Maximilian Buhk and Vincent Abril.
All in all MotorMartin is a massive fan of keeping these classics out on the open road. It’s important for people to see, hear and smell these magnificent machines as they motor past rather than have their only experience of such vehicles gained from static displays in a museum or show. So let’s celebrate with Bentley and give them a hearty pat on the back as we hope that they continue their endeavours for many years to come.
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