Overview

The Bentley motor car is one of the most respected marques in the world. It is synonymous with what is often referred to as the golden age of motorsport. Still the image remains of open sportscars, bearing the legendary winged B emblem, thundering around Brooklands and along the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans. Yet while Bentley motor cars are widely revered, their creator, Walter Owen Bentley, is largely unknown. In this meticulously researched and revealing biography, Malcolm Bobbitt chronicles W.O. Bentley's life and career and his love of machinery, especially motorcycles and motor cars. He records the rise and fall of Bentley Motors, the triumphs of the cars in competition, especially at Le Mans, and the enduring legend these performances created. Undoubtedly W.O. Bentley was one of the outstanding engineers and designers of his era, but Bentley the businessman was less successful. Even during the years when his cars achieved their great victories, the company's existence was tenuous, and Malcolm Bobbitt gives a fascinating account of Bentley's continuous struggle to remain financially afloat. Without massive investment from the wealthy diamond merchant Woolf Barnato, Bentley Motors would not have survived as long as it did. When, during the Depression, Barnato could no longer afford to finance the company, it was taken over by Rolls-Royce. but still the marque - and its reputation for excellence - persisted.

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9781859833520

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MALCOLM BOBBITT is a technical writer and researcher with a passionate interest in motoring and engineering. He has published over a dozen books on subjects as diverse as Citroen, Rover, VW and Fiat, and he has made a special study of Rolls-Royce and Bentley. His most recent books are Taxi: The Story of the London Cab, Police Cars and Citroen DS.

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