9781422270271

Bentley fulfilled its racing credentials. This 4½ liter supercharged model race car from 1930 still runs in the Mille Miglia rally in Italy.

Bentley Motors ties together the fighting spirit of the English people, a young engineer, his business-minded brother, and the British love of luxury. It begins with a group of brothers monkey wrenching around the motorcycles they love riding, and moves to the business of customizing imported French cars. The inception of Bentley in 1919 moves the reader into the world of high-speed, long-distance racing at sites like the breathtaking Le Mans track, which offers more than eight miles of treacherous terrain, winding through forests and valleys, past streams, and by jam-packed grandstands. The complexity of the contests belies the simplest of their goal— to drive the farthest during a 24-hour period. Not once nor twice, but an amazing six times, Bentley has won this dangerous road race. The story of Bentley Motors also extends to cutthroat business deals, one of which resulted in the purchase of the company by one of its rivals, only to find itself buried amidst the rival’s car models. With no way to innovate, and locked in by its new owners, the company treaded water for nearly 50 years.

Introduction

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