Tracing their roots back to 1919, Bentley is a British automobile manufacturer that has been producing some of the finest luxury vehicles that the world has ever seen. The history of the company is that of many ups and downs, yet the essence of what the car brand actually is has managed to live one. So despite the fact that Bentley has been owned by a few different companies over the years and that they are now a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, their cars are still among some of the best out there. While they have never been among the fastest cars of all-time, in terms of luxury and features, there aren’t many companies that do it better. Bentley has produced and designed a variety of different vehicles and models over the years, and a few standout as some of the best. Since their cars are so great, let’s take a look at five of the best Bentley models of all time.
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The Speed Six
The first Bentley that we are going to look at is a classic one, the iconic Speed Six. In 1926, Bentley released the highly popular Bentley “6.5 Litre”, and then two years later they followed it up with a high-performance model known as the Speed Six. The vehicle featured a 5.5-liter straight six engine that produced 200 hp, which was incredible back then. It was large, great looking, and packed with amazing features for the time. It was available as a road car for the general public, however Bentley also used this car for professional races (yeah, they used to do those). It actually would go on to be one of the most successful race cars for the brand, taking wins at a variety of different races including the 1929 and 1930 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
Photo from Timitrius/Flickr
The Brooklands
In 1992 Bentley unveiled their plans for a vehicle that would serve as a replacement for both the Bentley Arnage and the Bentley Mulsanne, and it was called the Brooklands. The vehicle was a success, but Bentley would only produce the vehicle for a few short years. Then in 2007, Bentley revealed that they were bringing it back as a more updated model. This two-door version was a large, 4-seater vehicle that was a fixed-head version of the Bentley Azure. Built by hand and made with materials like wood, the Brooklands was truly a great car. It’s 6.75-liter V8 engine with two turbochargers wasn’t that bad either, and that engine was actually able to produce 530 bhp and an absurd 774 lb-ft of torque. The Brooklands was an immediate classic, and is still a great car by todays standards.
Photo from Bentley
The Bentley 8 Litre
Back in 1930, Bentley was looking to produce a vehicle that would revitalize the brand and potentially save them from financial collapse. So that year they released the Bentley 8 Litre, and it has gone on to become one of the most iconic Bentleys of all-time. Many would consider this vehicle to be the last “true” classic Bentley, as this was the last car that they designed and sold before Rolls-Royce acquired the brand as Bentley was forced to sell their failing company at the time. The car is absolutely massive at either 12 or 13 feet in length, depending on the specific model. As the name implies, the vehicle had an 8.0-liter SOHC straight six engine and it was praised for it’s ease of use as a road car. However despite being a great car at the time, it was not enough to save the brand. Bentley only ever managed to produce just 100 of these incredible vehicles, and there’s just something to love about its classic design.
Photo from André Ritzinger/Flickr
The Continental GT3-R
Bentley has improved their Continental line immensely over the years, and in 2014 they released the Continental GT3-R. While Bentleys are known as high-end luxury cars, they wanted to create a vehicle that was first and foremost a road car, but one that was also comfortable to drive in. The GT3-R is all about going fast in a large, 2-door Bentley. With it’s twin-turbo V8 engine and noticeable weight reductions compared to previous models, the GT3-R is fast. 0 to 60 mph is achieved in 3.6 seconds, and while not record breaking, that’s extremely quick for a car of this nature. It’s arguably one of the highest performing Bentleys that the brand has ever made, so we had to include it on our list.
Photo from Bentley
The Mulsanne Speed
The current Mulsanne Speed is Bentley’s flagship vehicle, and it serves to represent everything the brand has ever stood for: luxury, quality, good looks, and power. At $335,000 dollars or so, it’s certainly not cheap, but it is most definitely one of the best cars that Bentley has ever produced. It’s very powerful with its 6.75-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 engine that moves this immense vehicle. 0 to 60 mph is achieved in 4.8 seconds and it can reach a top speed of 190 mph. That’s pretty incredible for a 4-door vehicle that weighs well over 5,000 pounds. But not only is this car fast, it’s about as luxurious as it gets. Each model is constructed by hand, and with a virtually endless amount of potential options, no two models are exactly alike. It’s their current flagship vehicle, and it just may be the greatest Bentley ever.
Photo from Bentley
