Home Part 2: The Last 100 years 8: Car Manufacturers by Country 8.7 Great Britain (UK) 8.7.3. Bentley History of Bentley Motor Cars / Automobiles 8.7.3. Bentley The Bentley Motor Company was founded in 1918 by two brothers; Walter and H Bentley. Most of the early models were very successful racing cars, one of the most famous being the 3.0 litre Bentley, which had a top speed of 80 mph (128 kph). It won the 24-hour Le Mans race in 1924, with other models winning from 1927 to 1930. Between 1921 and 1927 the company produced 1,633 of these 3 litre cars. The Company was seriously affected by the 1929 stock market crash, having just launched its ultra-luxury 8-litre model and only 100 were made. After producing just over 3,000 cars the company was bought by Rolls-Royce in 1931. The first model produced after the end of World War 2 bearing the Bentley name was the 4.3 litre Mark Vl (1946-52), with a convertible version introduced in 1951. In 1952 the R Type was introduced and 2,320 of these 4,566 cc cars were made. The 4,887 cc Continental version was produced for the European market; the first Bentley car to carry the Continental name, and 207 were made by 1955. The S2 Type was produced between 1959 and 1962, followed by the S3 (1962-65), the T1 (1965-77), and the T2 (1977-81). 2007 Models include the Brooklands, Arnage, Azure and Continental.   [ Back ]