| This oh-so-British purveyor of ultra-luxury vehicles earned its reputation in the early days of the auto industry, with powerful, unbreakable gentlemen’s cars. Bentley’s cars have long been likened to locomotives thanks to their voluminous proportions and diesel engine-like power; with “Bentley Boy” Woolf Barnato at the wheel, a 6.5-litre Bentley took on a train in a race from Cannes to London and won. Owned by Rolls-Royce since 1931, the brands split in 1998. Bentley is now part of the Volkswagen Group. They’re still massively powerful, hand-built vehicles designed for discerning customers, and the Bentley has all but supplanted Rolls-Royce as the best vehicle for announcing that one has “arrived”. |
