Bentley
British car maker, famous for its Le Mans victories in the 1920s and for large, fast luxury cars.
W. O. Bentley founded the firm in London and built powerful sports cars that won the 24-hour race at Le Mans several times in the 1920s. The drivers were known as the Bentley Boys. Its finances were weak, however, and in 1931 Bentley was bought by Rolls-Royce.
Under Rolls-Royce, Bentley became the sportier sister, and the R-Type Continental of 1952 was one of the fastest four-seaters of its day. The marque has been owned by the Volkswagen group since 1998 and is made in Crewe.
The winged B on the radiator and the chassis number on a plate in the engine bay.
Early cars have large headlamps and a radiator cowl; the post-war cars share much with Rolls-Royce.