The original Bentley Motors Ltd. was established in 1919 in London by Walter Owen Bentley and existed until 1931 (after which it was purchased by Rolls Royce). 1924 was its strongest production year, with 462 vehicles leaving its works.

The late 1920’s were the Bentley years, with successes at Le Mans acting as an economic indicator in this period. A Bentley won the competition on the Sarthe in 1924 and on a further four successive occasions from 1927.

Take a look back to 1929, the year of the seventh Grand Prix d’Endurance where, much to the disappointment of French enthusiasts, Bugatti decided not to participate in the 24 Hours. The attention of everyone was concentrated on a British-American duel. The favourite was Woolf Barnato in his 6.7 litre Bentley with 180 horsepower and a maximum speed of 200 km/h. Halfway through the race, the four Bentleys were leading ahead of the American Stutz (from Indianapolis) and Chryslers (from Detroit). After 24 hours, the four Bentley models were in the first to fourth positions! Woolf Barnato won the race for the second time after 2 843.83 kilometres and was destined to cross the finish line one more time in first place in 1930.

In addition, the “Boss” Woolf Barnato was also a financier, a majority shareholder and Chairman of Bentley.