Bentley Cars 1940-45

The development and production history of the elegant and luxurious mainstream Rolls-Royce and Bentley models built between 1947 and 1965. Arguably, these cars - all built on chassis and echoing pre-war practices - were the last of the 'traditional' Rolls-Royce and Bentley models. Many, many of these cars have survived to the present day: all are eminently collectible. Covering concept, design and development, production, promotion, publicity and the coach built cars. There is also helpful practical advice on buying and running these cars today, together with appendices of chassis number sequences and dates, build numbers and modifications and development by chassis number. Illustrated with over 160 black and white and colour photos, this book is a must have for anyone interested in automotive history.

From a small design team working on the Silver Spirit/Mulsanne, to becoming Chief Stylist, Graham Hull peels back the curtain on an idiosyncratic institution during his time at Crewe. Throwing light on a factory motivated as much by pride as the bottom-line, all of the projects - whether production, special commission, or aborted designs - are covered, and the often unique styling process is explored. This process was a key element in the resurgence of the dormant Bentley marque, that, with its fortunes on the rise, became the star of the Geneva Motor Show, attracting commissions from wealthy enthusiasts for totally bespoke vehicles. Founding fathers Royce and Rolls melded engineering with marketing, but as marketing took over, this union fractured. The drama of how this British institution was divided between BMW and VW, and how aesthetic design, never cherished by British management, was increasingly recognised, is fundamental to the story. The bewildering number of projects during the 1990s is a genuine eye-opener and a phenomena that demanded unique people, skills, and facilities.