Bentley is a British luxury automobile founded in 1919. The company founded by Mr Bentley had inauspicious beginnings. During the great depression of the early 1920s, the company received funding from Woolf Barnato but survival as difficult and the company was sold to Rolls Royce in 1931. Soon a group of rich British business man known as the Bentley Boys revived the car with a complete new design.
The initial Bentleys became more famous on the racing circuit and were also owned by the royalty. The initial Bentleys started off with a 3 liter engine and went up to 8 liters over the decades. However, during the 2nd world war, the car was again redesigned for efficiency. After the war, Bentley took on a sedan look and was often compared to Rolls Royce. However, the 70s and 80s were poor years for the car.
In the later part of the 80s, the car once again regained its sporting image as typified by the Mulsanne, and this time competed well with Rolls Royce on both the domestic and international market.
In 1998, Bentley motors was purchased by Volkswagen but by 2002 the rights had been transferred to BMW. BMW has previously supplied components for the V8 and V 12 in the late 1900s
In 2002, Bentley introduced the continental GT with a powerful W 12 engine. This was followed by the Azure. Demand for both these cars were solid for most of 2000. In late 2000, Bentley replaced the Arnage. In 2008, there were rumors that an SUV style Bentley would be on production but the economic downturn has placed the ideas back on the shelf. Another focal point for the future is to make hybrid cars. However, with a global shutdown, the Bentley is facing severe crises in sales. Like all car companies, the survival of Bentley will depend on how long the recession lasts.
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