The registry
Bentley Registry: Models, Builds & Photos
Bentley Motors was founded by W.O. Bentley in Cricklewood, North London in 1919, won Le Mans five times between 1924 and 1930, and was bought out of receivership by Rolls-Royce in 1931. The marque then spent five decades building badge-shared Rolls-Royce derivatives before the 1982 Mulsanne Turbo and 1985 Turbo R gave it a performance identity of its own again. Volkswagen Group acquired Bentley in 1998, the marques fully separated on 1 January 2003, and the Continental GT launched that same year and pushed annual volume from about 1,000 cars to more than 10,000 within four years.
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Cricklewood, Derby, Crewe
W.O. Bentley registered Bentley Motors in 1919 and delivered the first 3 Litre in 1921. The Cricklewood cars, the 3 Litre, 4 1/2 Litre, 6 1/2 Litre Speed Six, and 8 Litre, took five Le Mans wins between 1924 and 1930 (the supercharged Blower 4 1/2, famous as it is, never won there). The company went into receivership in 1931 and Rolls-Royce bought it in secret, bidding 125,000 pounds through a front company called British Central Equitable Trust; W.O. himself did not learn who the buyer was until the deal closed. Production moved to Derby, and from the 3 1/2 Litre of 1933 onward a Bentley was mechanically a Rolls-Royce with different tuning and grille. Car production settled at Crewe in 1946, and Crewe has been the home plant ever since, though not exclusively: Pininfarina built Azure bodyshells in Italy in the 1990s, and 1,358 early Continental Flying Spurs were assembled at Volkswagen's Dresden factory between 2005 and early 2007. Vickers owned the combined company from 1980, and in 1998 Volkswagen Group bought Rolls-Royce Motors, which included Bentley and the Crewe works, while BMW ended up with rights to the Rolls-Royce name. The two marques finally separated on 1 January 2003, and that June a Bentley Speed 8 won Le Mans outright, the marque's sixth win there.
Turbo R, 1985-1997
The Turbo R is the car that made Bentley worth buying again on its own merits. It paired the Garrett-turbocharged 6.75 liter pushrod V8 from the 1982 Mulsanne Turbo with a properly sorted chassis: stiffer anti-roll bars, firmer dampers, and wider alloy wheels (the R stands for roadholding). Bosch MK-Motronic fuel injection and anti-lock brakes replaced the Solex carburetor setup in October 1986 for the 1987 model year, and just under 300 horsepower with 487 lb-ft moved a 5,400 pound sedan convincingly. Later cars gained adaptive damping, and the 1996 model year brought Zytek engine management with a freshened body. The light pressure turbo engine of the mid 1990s went into the Brooklands and the Rolls-Royce Silver Spur, not this car; the Turbo R ran full boost to the end, then handed off to the 400 horsepower Turbo RT for 1997-1998. Parts interchange heavily with the Mulsanne, Eight, and Brooklands, which matters, because hydraulic system service (the Citroen-licensed high-pressure brake and ride system) is the recurring job on all of them.
Azure, 1995-2003 and 2006-2010
The Azure is the convertible Continental R, powered by the same turbocharged 6.75 V8. Pininfarina spent two years helping engineer the open body, then built the shells and power tops at its factory in Italy, with paint and final finishing at Crewe. First-series production ran 1995-2003 and came to about 1,400 cars, with the higher-output Azure Mulliner, commonly quoted at 420 horsepower, arriving in 1999. A second-generation Azure on the Arnage platform arrived for 2006, and the 500 horsepower Azure T closed out production in 2010. Top hydraulics and the usual V8 turbo plumbing are the known service points; body and trim parts are scarce and expensive.
Other lines worth knowing
- R Type Continental (1952-1955): the H.J. Mulliner fastback that started the Continental name, capable of about 115 mph and the fastest four-seat production car of its day.
- Continental R (1991-2003): first Bentley since the 1965 S3 Continental with bodywork not shared with a Rolls-Royce.
- Arnage (1998-2009): launched with a twin-turbo BMW 4.4 V8, reverted to the 6.75 in the Red Label from late 1999.
- Continental GT (2003-present): VW-era W12 coupe that multiplied Bentley volume roughly tenfold.
Asked all the time
What years was the Bentley Turbo R made?
Bentley built the Turbo R from 1985 to 1997. Early cars used a Solex carburetor setup carried over from the Mulsanne Turbo; Bosch MK-Motronic fuel injection and ABS arrived for the 1987 model year, the 1996 cars switched to Zytek engine management, and the 400 horsepower Turbo RT carried the platform through 1998. All use the 6.75 liter pushrod V8.
Is a Bentley from the 1980s or 1990s just a rebadged Rolls-Royce?
Mechanically the platforms are shared, a Turbo R sits on the same bones as a Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, but Bentley versions from 1982 on got turbocharging and firmer suspension the Rolls never offered. Before 1982, yes, badge and grille were most of the difference back to 1933.
What should I budget for on an older Bentley V8 car?
On any 1980s-2000s Bentley with the 6.75 V8, plan around the high-pressure hydraulic system (brake accumulators and spheres), head gaskets and coolant hoses on turbo cars, and suspension bushings. Many mechanical parts cross to the equivalent Rolls-Royce, which keeps supply reasonable; trim and body parts do not.
When did Bentley become part of Volkswagen?
Volkswagen bought Rolls-Royce Motors from Vickers in 1998 for 430 million pounds, which brought Bentley and the Crewe factory with it, while BMW licensed the Rolls-Royce name from the aero-engine company. The marques fully separated on 1 January 2003, the same year the Continental GT launched.
What years was the Bentley Azure built?
The first-generation Bentley Azure, a convertible on the Continental R platform, ran 1995-2003, with the higher-output Azure Mulliner available from 1999. A second-generation Azure based on the Arnage arrived for 2006, and its Azure T variant ended production in 2010.
The wall
The most-documented Bentley vehicles in the registry, every photo by the owner.
