The Family Silver

For nearly 70 years, Rolls-Royce and Bentley were built together, at Derby and then Crewe, sharing not only production lines but chassis, engines and not least a certain quintessentially British luxury image. Long after most of the extravagant car makers of the early days were gone, these two soldiered on with their upright grilles and coachbuilt bodies, forging a stubborn but ultimately successful path into the 20th century. It might not have been fully envisaged at the time when Rolls-Royce bought the ailing Bentley concern, but the progressive Bentley afforded Rolls-Royce an outlet for design and engineering studies that would prove crucial for its survival, and while many may argue that Bentley lost its identity right there and then with the last Cricklewood car delivered in 1932, Rolls-Royce’s production facilities and components served as a life raft in the 1930s. In the following 70 years unfolded a story where each marque had its ups and downs, and of course we know the ending: Rolls-Royce and Bentley would not be names lost to history.

1930-1955 A RIVAL BOUGHT IN

When Bentley faced liquidation in 1931, Rolls-Royce couldn’t pass up the opportunity to scoop up what had become a significant rival. Bentley’s 3-Litre was a strong challenger to Rolls-Royce’s important Twenty model, while the racing provenance of cars like the 6½-Litre even threatened the top of the market. Rolls-Royce swept in, buying the firm under the noses of Napier, and two years later a new era was dawning for both firms.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom III and