- Beautiful Bentleys from past and present at Hampton Court Palace
- Bentley key sponsor of 5-7 September Concours
- Luxury and performance from across the eras
(Crewe, 18 July 2014) Some of the finest examples of the Bentley marque are set to shine at the 2014 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace this September. Five Bentleys will feature in the 60 exceptional cars chosen for this year’s Concours, with owners from around the world displaying their cars in the Fountain Gardens at Hampton Court.
Among the Bentleys will be a 1931 8 Litre Park Ward Sports Saloon. Regarded as one of the finest models to have been created by the company’s founder W.O. Bentley, the 8-litre combined breath-taking performance for a grand saloon (it was capable of 100mph in 1930) with the height of bespoke luxury and comfort. A press review of the time simply described the 8 Litre as “motoring in its very highest form.”
Bentley Motors, a key sponsor of the Concours, will also present a range of exciting cars representing the company’s enduring commitment to luxury and performance. A remarkable double Le Mans winning car, known affectionately as Old No 1, will take pride of place in the Bentley display. The Speed Six racer won the iconic 24 hours endurance race in successive years (1929 and 1930) and recently thundered up the famous hill at Goodwood.
Bringing the Bentley performance story right up to date is the new Continental GT3-R. Inspired by Bentley’s Continental GT3 race car which has stormed to back-to-back victories Silverstone and Paul Ricard in its debut season in the Blancpain Endurance Series, the Continental GT3-R blends proven track and road credentials, and is a highly exclusive and potent interpretation of performance-focused luxury.
Powered by Bentley’s renowned 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, this two-seater GT develops 580 PS (572 bhp / 426 kW) and 700 Nm of torque and reaches 60 mph from a standstill in just 3.6 seconds; establishing the GT3-R as the fastest accelerating road-going Bentley of all time. The 2014 Concours of Elegance will mark one of the first opportunities to see the Bentley GT3-R.
Bentley’s contribution to creating some of the world’s most luxurious and elegant cars will be showcased with the appearance of the company’s new Flying Spur V8 and flagship Mulsanne.
Hand-built at the company’s Crewe headquarters and combining state-of-the-art technology with traditional craftsmanship using the finest wood veneers and leather, the Mulsanne saloon is the modern successor to cars like the 8 Litre and iconic Blue Train Bentley Speed Six which secured the overall award at the 2013 Concours of Elegance at St. James’s Palace.
- Bentley Motors is the most sought after luxury car brand in the world. 2013 was Bentley’s record year in the company’s 95-year history. Global customer deliveries grew by 19% over 2012 to 10,120 cars. At the half year point in 2014, the Americas remained Bentley’s largest sales region, with 1,388 cars delivered. China continued its position as the second biggest market with 1,318 cars, while in Europe, deliveries reached 825 cars. Sales in Bentley’s home market, the UK, were 713 and in the Middle East, Bentley delivered 537 cars. At that stage of 2014, Bentley had nearly 200 dealerships in 54 countries.
- Bentley Motors’ headquarters in Crewe is home to all of its operations including design, R&D, engineering and production of the company’s three model lines, Continental, Flying Spur and Mulsanne. The combination of fine craftsmanship, using skills that have been handed down through generations, alongside engineering expertise and cutting-edge technology is unique to UK luxury car brands such as Bentley. It is also an example of high-value British manufacturing at its best. Bentley employs around 3,700 people at Crewe.
- The Concours of Elegance: Established in 2012, the inaugural Concours of Elegance was held within the private grounds of Windsor Castle to mark the diamond jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen’s reign. Organised by Thorough Events, the first Concours of Elegance set a new global benchmark for a classic car concours; winning prestigious awards in the process; unheard of for a ‘start-up’ event in its first year. The second Concours of Elegance was held in 2013 to equal fanfare and acclaim at the historic Royal Palace of St James in London. Only the highest caliber of cars are invited to the Concours of Elegance, event, with the rarest cars in the world, from all over the world, painstakingly selected by the Concours Steering Committee; a respected team of authoritative historic car experts. A key objective of the annual Concours of Elegance is to raise significant sums for charity, with the 2013 event at St James’s Palace generating in excess of £250,000.
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