Wolseley Motors

Wolseley Motors

Wolseley Motors

Industry	Automotive
Fate	Merged
Successor	British Motor Corporation
Founded	1901
Defunct	1975
Headquarters	Birmingham, England
Key people	Thomas and Albert Vickers Herbert Austin J D Siddeley A J McCormack W R Morris

Wolseley Marque

Product type	Automotive marque
Owner	SAIC Motor
Discontinued	1987
Previous owners	Vickers, Sons and Maxim(1901–1927) W R Morris (1927–1935) Morris Motors Limited (1935–1952) BMC (1952–1967) British Leyland (1967–1986) Rover Group (1986–1988) BAe (1988–1994) BMW (1994–2000) MG Rover (2000–2005) NAC (2005–2007)

Wolseley Motors Limited owned a British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in early 1901 by the Vickers armaments combine in conjunction with Herbert Austin. It initially made a full range topped by large luxury cars and dominated the market in the Edwardian era. The Vickers brothers died and without their guidance Wolseley expanded rapidly after the war, manufacturing 12,000 cars in 1921, and remained the biggest motor manufacturer in Britain.

Over-expansion led to receivership in 1927 when it was bought from Vickers Limited by William Morris as a personal investment and years later moved into his Morris Motors empire just before the Second World War. After that its products were “badge-engineered” Morris cars. Wolseley went with its sister businesses into BMC, BMH and British Leyland, where its name lapsed in 1975.

Founding 1901

Herbert Austin (1866–1941) in 1905

Colonel Thomas Vickers (1833–1915)

Sir Hiram Maxim (1840–1916) caricature by Spy for Vanity Fair, 1904

Colonial tourer 1912

The Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Company Limited

Hiram Maxim, inventor of the machine gun that bears his name and by then a member of the combine Vickers Sons & Maxim, had consulted Herbert Austin at Wolseley in the late 1890s a number of times in relation to the design of flying machines, which he was developing and constructing. Maxim made use of a number of suggestions made by Austin in Maxim’s activities at his works in Crayford, Kent. Once the sheep-shearing company had decided they would not pursue their automobile interest an approach was made and agreement quickly reached.

The Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Company of Adderley Park Birmingham was incorporated in March 1901 with a capital of £40,000 by Vickers, Sons and Maxim to manufacture motor cars and machine tools. The managing director was Herbert Austin. The cars and the Wolseley name came from Austin’s exploratory venture for The Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Company Limited, run since the early 1890s by the now 33-year-old Austin. Wolseley’s board had decided not to enter the business and Maxim and the Vickers brothers picked it up. After his five-year contract with The Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Company ended Austin founded The Austin Motor Company Limited.

Austin’s Wolseley cars

 10hp 2-cylinder tonneau 1903

 20hp shooting brake 1903

Austin had been searching for other products for WSSMC because sale of sheep-shearing machinery was a highly seasonal trade. About 1895–96 he became interested in engines and automobiles. During the winter of 1895–96, working in his own time at nights and weekends, he made his own version of a design by Léon Bollée that he had seen in Paris. Later he found that another British group had bought the rights and he had to come up with a design of his own, having persuaded the directors of WSSMC to invest in the necessary machinery.

In 1897 Austin’s second Wolseley car,

the Wolseley Autocar No. 1 was revealed. It was a three-wheeled design (one front, two rear) featuring independent rear suspension, mid-engine and back to back seating for two adults. It was not successful and although advertised for sale, none were sold.

The third Wolseley car, the four-wheeled Wolseley “Voiturette” followed in 1899. A further four-wheeled car was made in 1900.

The 1901 Wolseley Gasoline Carriage featured a steering wheel instead of a tiller. The first Wolseley cars sold to the public were based on the “Voiturette”, but production did not get underway until 1901, by which time the board of WSSMC had lost interest in the nascent motor industry.

Thomas and Albert Vickers, directors of Vickers and Maxim Britain’s largest armaments manufacturer had much earlier decided to enter the industry at the right moment and impressed by Austin’s achievements at WSSMC they took on his enterprise. When Austin’s five-year contract officially ended in 1906 they had made more than 1,500 cars, Wolseley was the largest British motor manufacturer and Austin’s reputation was made.

The company had been formed in March 1901. By 1 May 1901 Austin had issued his first catalogue. There were to be two models, 5 hp and 10 hp. They were both available with either a Tonneau or a Phaeton body with either pneumatic or solid tyres. For an additional outlay of thirty shillings (£1.50) the 10 hp model would be fitted with a sprag to prevent it running backwards. “We recommend pneumatic tyres for all cars required to run over twenty miles an hour. Austin then provided a paragraph as to why his horizontal engines were better lubricated (than vertical engines) and that 750 rpm, the speed of his Wolseley engines, avoided the short life of competing engines that ran between 1,000 and 2,000 rpm.”

The association with Vickers not only helped in general design but in the speed of production and provision of special steels

The Wolseley range from 1901 to 1905.

8hp 2-cylinder tonneau 1904

Engines were horizontal which kept the centre of gravity low. Cylinders were cast individually and arranged either singly, in a pair or in two pairs which were horizontally opposed. The crankshaft lay across the car allowing a simple belt or chain-drive to the rear axle:

1902 The 5hp MC-Wolseley

1904 Wolseley 6hp Light Car, 5 hp, 6 hp from 1904

1903 Wolseley 7,5hp tonneau AC-Wols

1904 Wolseley 8 hp tonneau, 7½ hp, 8 hp from 1904

1902 Wolseley 10 hp tonneau WTC

1910 Wolseley 12hp-16 Town Car. 2,226 cc, 10 hp, 12 hp from 1904

1912 Wolseley 16-20hp Landaulette

from 1904 16 hp

1903 Wolseley 20hp tonneau 6seats reliable hill-climbing

1904 Wolseley 2 cyl 20hp shooting brake London to Brighton

20 hp, 24 hp from 1904

 

in 1904 Queen Alexandra bought a 5.2-litre 24 hp landaulette with coil ignition, a four-speed gearbox and chain drive.

Siddeley

Name plate: Vickers, Sons & Maxim
Wolseley Siddeley

2.6 litre 14 hp rotund phaeton (tourer) 1908

Austin’s resolute refusal to countenance new vertical engines for his Wolseleys, whatever his directors might wish, led to Austin handing in his resignation the year before his contract ended. Curiously in his new Austin enterprise all the engines proved vertical but there he had to suffer a new financial master. Vickers replaced Austin by promoting Wolseley’s London sales manager, John Davenport Siddeley to general manager. As Austin was aware Vickers had earlier built, in association with Siddeley, Siddeley’s vertical-engined cars at their Crayford Kent factory. The new Siddeley cars began to overtake Wolseley’s sales of “old-fashioned” horizontal-engined cars. In early 1905 they hired Siddeley for their London sales manager and purchased the goodwill and patent rights of his Siddeley car.

8.6-litre 40–50 hp limousine

for the Earl of Leicester 1909

Siddeley, on his appointment to Austin’s former position, promptly replaced Austin’s horizontal engines with the now conventional upright engines. With him he brought his associate Lionel de Rothschild as a member of the Wolseley board. Together they gave the business a new lease of life. At the November 1905 Olympia Motor Show, the first at the former National Agricultural Hall, two small 6 hp and 8 hp cars were still exhibited with horizontal engines but there were also Siddeley’s new 15, 18 and 32 hp cars with vertical engines. This switch to vertical engines brought Wolseley a great deal of publicity and their products soon lost their old-fashioned image.

However a tendency then arose for journalists to follow the company’s full-page display advertising and drop the first word in Wolseley Siddeley — “Siddeley Autocars made by (in smaller typeface) the Wolseley Tool . . .”  Certainly it was true the new engines were named Siddeley engines. Meanwhile, under Siddeley Wolseley maintained the sales lead left to him by Austin but, now run from London not (Austin’s base) Birmingham, the whole business failed to cover overheads. A board member, Walter Chetwynd, was set to find a solution. It was decided the business operated from too many different locations. First the board closed the Crayford Kent works, moving the whole operation back to Birmingham and dropping production of commercial vehicles and taxicabs – a large number of which, 500+, were made during Siddeley’s time including an early 10 hp taxicab made in 1908 sold to a Mr W R Morris of Holywell St. Oxford who ran a garage there and hire car business as well as making bicycles. Then the London head office followed. After some heated discussions Siddeley resigned in the spring of 1909 and Rothschild went too. Ernest Hopwood was appointed managing director in August 1909. Siddeley was to go on to manage the Deasy Motor Company and a notable commercial career.

Wolsit racer 1907

Wolseley Italy or Wolsit

Wolsit Officine Legnanesi Autmobili was incorporated in 1907 by Macchi Brothers and the Bank of Legnano to build Wolseley cars under licence in Legnano, about 18 kilometres north-west of central Milan. A similar enterprise, Fial, had started there a year earlier but failed in 1908. Wolsit automobile production ended in 1909, the business continued but made luxury bicycles. Emilio Bozzi made the Ciclomotore Wolsit from 1910 to 1914. A team of Wolsit cars competed in motoring events in 1907.

The Wolseley range in 1909:

12/16 hp

16/20 hp

20/24 hp

24/30 hp

 

Stellite, a separate low-priced range designed by Wolseley 1914

30/34 hp

40 hp

40/50 hp

60 hp

After 1911 the name on the cars was again just Wolseley.

Chetwynd’s recommendations soon lead to a revival in profits and a rapid expansion of Wolseley’s business. The Adderley Park factory was greatly extended in 1912. These extensions were opened in 1914 but there was not sufficient space for the new Stellite model which was instead produced and marketed by another Vickers subsidiary, Electric and Ordnance Accessories Company Limited.

Machine tools, buses, rail engines etc

Wolseley was not then as specialised in its operations as members of the motor industry were to become. For other members of the Vickers group they were general engineers and they also handled engineering enquiries directed on to them by other group members. Wolseley built double-decker buses for the Birmingham Corporation. They also built many specials such as electric lighting sets and motor boat engines – catalogued sizes were from 12 hp to 250 hp with up to twelve cylinders and complete with gearboxes. Fire engines too and special War Office vehicles being a subsidiary of a major armaments firm. As befits a company with tool in its name they built machine tools including turret lathes and horizontal borers though chiefly for their own use or for group members. Very large engines were made to power railcars, those made for the Delaware and Hudson railroad powered a petrol-electric system.

Marine and aero-engines

HMA No. 1 Mayfly at her mooring, Barrow-in-Furness September 1911

While at first Wolseley supplied engines for launches, made for them by Teddington Launch Works, they moved on to small river craft and light coasting boats. The demand for engines for larger vessels grew. It was not uncommon for orders to be booked for 70-foot (21 m) yachts, racing launches and ferry boats to carry fifty or more passengers. These were manufactured by S E Saunders Limited at Cowes, Isle of Wight. Special engines were made for lifeboats. In 1906 horizontal engines of sixteen cylinders were designed and constructed for British submarines. They were designed to run at a low speed. High efficiency V8 engines were made for hydroplanes as well as straight eights to run on petrol or paraffin. Weight was very important and these engines were of advanced design. The airship Mayfly was fitted with Wolseley engines.

A Ferdinand de Baeder (1865–1944), Belgian holder of Aviator’s certificate No. 107, won Prix des Pilots, Prix des Arts et Metiers, Coupe Archdeacon, Prix Capitaine Berger at Châlons-en-Champagne in his Wolseley-engined Voisin biplane on 30 December 1909. By the summer of 1910 Wolseley were able to supply the following specially designed water-cooled aero-engines:

60 hp V8 aero-engine 1910

30 hp 4-cylinder, bore and stroke: 3¾ x 5½ inches, displacement 5.85 litres

60 hp V8-cylinder, bore and stroke: 3¾ x 5½ inches, displacement 11.7 litres.

They were soon followed by a 120 hp version

• 16-20 hp 1912
• 24-30 Colonial model 1912
• Antarctic November 1911
• 

  1905 360 hp 12-cylinder marine engine

Caterpillar tracked tractors were designed and supplied to Robert Falcon Scott for his ill-fated second expedition to the Antarctic. Orders were also received for use by the Deutsche Antarktische Expedition.

In 1914 Russian lawyer Count Peter Schilowsky was supplied with a two-wheeled gyroscopically balanced car for use on narrow tracks in wartime.

Wolseley 120 hp V8 aero engine 1910

• 

  Schilowsky’s gyrocar

1924 1½-ton lorry

Commercial vehicles

From 1912 lorries and other commercial vehicles were supplied. Until the outbreak of war in 1914 Wolseley offered six types of commercial vehicle from 12 cwt delivery van to a five-ton lorry with a 40 hp engine.

Wolseley Motors Limited 1914

By 1913 Wolseley was Britain’s largest car manufacturer selling 3,000 cars. The company was renamed Wolseley Motors Limited in 1914.
It also began operations in Montreal and Toronto as Wolseley Motors Limited. This became British and American Motors after the First World War. In January 1914 the chairman, Sir Vincent Caillard, told shareholders they owned probably the largest motor-car producing company in the country and that its factory floor space now exceeded 17 acres.

First World War

Wolseley ambulance of

“The Madonnas of Pervyse”

Former Wolseley works, Ward End

Entering wartime as Britain’s largest car manufacturer Wolseley initially contracted to provide cars for staff officers and ambulances. Government soon indicated their plant might be better used for supplies more urgently needed. Postwar the chairman, Sir Vincent Caillard, was able to report Wolseley had provided, quantities are approximate:

3,600 motorcars and lorries including the equivalent in spare parts

4,900 aeronautical engines including the equivalent in spare parts

760 aeroplanes

600 sets aeroplane spare wings and tailplanes

6,000 airscrews of various types

Director firing gear for 27 battleships, 56 cruisers and 160 flotilla leaders and destroyers

1,200 naval gun mountings and sights

10 transmission mechanisms for rigid airships

2,650,000 18-pounder shells

300,000 Stokes’s bombs

Aero engines produced in wartime included:

Renault eight and twelve-cylinder Vee-type

“Maybach” six-cylinder water-cooled 180 hp developed from a Maybach Zeppelin engine

The Dragonfly nine-cylinder air-cooled radial

Boucier fourteen-cylinder air-cooled radial

Hispano designed V8 known as the Viper. By 1918 sixty of these engine were being produced each week

Airship engines for the British Admiralty

The Scottish Horse Mounted Brigade‘s Field Ambulance developed an operating car, designed by Colonel H. Wade in 1914, which enclosed an operating table, sterilisers, full kit of instruments and surgical equipment, wire netting, rope, axes and electric lighting in a Wolseley car chassis. This operating car was employed during the Gallipoli Campaign at Suvla, in the Libyan Desert (during the Senussi Campaign) and at Kantara in Egypt, before being attached to the Desert Mounted Corps Operating Unit in 1917. Subsequently, taking part in the Southern Palestine Offensive, which culminated in the Capture of Jerusalem.

In 1918, Wolseley began a joint venture in Tokyo, with Ishikawajiama Ship Building and Engineering. The first Japanese-built Wolseley car rolled off the line in 1922. After World War II the Japan venture was reorganized, renaming itself Isuzu Motors in 1949.

Postwar expansion and collapse

Wolseley Ten 1923

postwar Stellite

Fifteen tourer 1923

16–45 2-litre six-cylinder 6-light saloon admired by W R Morris

Thomas Vickers died in 1915, and Albert Vickers in 1919, both having reached their eighties. During the war, Wolseley’s manufacturing capacity had rapidly developed and expanded. Immediately postwar, the Vickers directors decided to manufacture cars in large quantities at relatively cheap prices. Demand was good. They would borrow money, purchase the whole Ward End site and further expand Wolseley’s works. Vickers also decided to consolidate their motor car interests in one company. Wolseley accordingly purchased from within the Vickers group: Electric and Ordnance Accessories Company Limited, the Motor-Car (Stellite Car) Ordnance Department and the Timken Bearing Department and announced Wolseley’s future car programme would be:

1. 10 hp four-cylinder two or three-seater touring car based on the Wolseley designed Stellite car

2. 15 hp four-cylinder four-seater touring car

3. 20 hp six-cylinder chassis to be fitted with a variety of the best types of carriage work

Examples of all these models were exhibited at the Olympia Show in November 1919. The design of the 10 hp and 15 hp engines closely followed their wartime Hispano aero engine using an overhead camshaft. The public considered the 15 hp was too innovative and a new “14 hp” car using the same engine was hastily created to fill the gap.

Debenture stock certificate issued 6 May 1922 Wolseley Motors Ltd

Wolseley duly took over the Ward End, Birmingham munitions factory from Vickers in 1919 and purchased a site for a new showroom and offices in London’s Piccadilly by the Ritz Hotel. Over £250,000 was spent on the magnificent new building, Wolseley House. This was more than double their profits for 1919, when rewarding government contracts were still running. Those contracts ended. The government then brought in a special tax on “excess wartime profits”. There was a moulders’ strike from December 1919 to April 1920, but in spite of that it was decided to continue the manufacture of other parts. Then a short, sharp general trade slump peaked in July 1920 and almost every order Wolseley had on its books was cancelled. In 1920 Wolseley had reported a loss of £83,000. The following years showed even greater losses. Next, in October 1922, W R Morris startled the whole motor industry by a substantial reduction in the price of his cars. In 1924, Wolseley’s annual loss would reach £364,000.

Ernest Hopwood had been appointed Managing Director in August 1909 following Siddeley’s departure. He had resigned late in 1919 due to ill-health. A J McCormack who had been joint MD with Hopwood since 1911 resigned in November 1923 and was replaced by a committee of management. Then, at the end of October 1926, it was disclosed the company was bankrupt “to the tune of £2 million” and Sir Gilbert Garnsey and T W Horton had been appointed joint receivers and managers. It was described as “one of the most spectacular failures in the early history of the motor industry”.

Morris

W R Morris

Main article: William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield

Hornet 1¼-litre open 2-seater 1931

initially a 6-cylinder development of Wolseley’s design for the Morris Minor

Wasp 1069 cc 1935

21–60 2.7-litre landaulette 1933

When Wolseley was auctioned by the receivers in February 1927 it was purchased by William Morris, later Viscount Nuffield for £730,000 using his own money. Possibly Morris acted to stop General Motors who subsequently bought Vauxhall.

Other bidders beside General Motors included the Austin Motor Company. Herbert Austin, Wolseley’s founder, was said to have been very distressed that he was unable to buy it. Morris had bought an early taxicab; another Wolseley link with Morris was that his Morris Garages were Wolseley agents in Oxford.

Morris had unsuccessfully tried to produce a 6-cylinder car. He still wanted his range to include a light six-cylinder car. Wolseley’s 2-litre six-cylinder 16–45, their latest development of their postwar Fifteen, “made a deep impression on him”.

Morris incorporated a new company, Wolseley Motors (1927) Limited, he was later permitted to remove the (1927), and consolidated its production at the sprawling Ward End Works in Birmingham. He sold off large unwanted portions of Wolseley’s Adderley Park plant with all his own Soho, Birmingham works and moved Morris Commercial Cars from Soho to the remainder of Adderley Park.

In 1919 Vickers had decided Wolseley should build relatively cheap cars in large quantity – as it turned out – not the right policy. Morris changed this policy before the Wolseley brand might have lost all its luxury reputation. After lengthy deliberation and re-tooling of the works he kept the 2-litre six-cylinder 16–45 Silent Six and introduced a four-cylinder version calling it 12–32. Then an eight-cylinder car was brought to market named 21–60. In September 1928 a six-cylinder 21–60 was announced primarily aimed at the export market and named Wolseley Messenger there. It remained in production until 1935. The Messenger was noted for its robust construction. A very deep section frame reached the full width of the body – incidentally providing the sill between running boards and body. The body itself was all-steel and its prototype was first in UK to have its whole side pressed in one.

Wolseley’s postwar engines were all of the single overhead-camshaft type, the camshaft driven by a vertical shaft from the crankshaft. The eight-cylinder 21–60 held the vertical shaft in the centre of the engine, and both crankshaft and camshaft were divided at their midpoints. Their smallest engine of 847cc was designed and made for Morris’s new Minor at Ward End with the camshaft drive’s shaft the spindle of the dynamo driven by spiral bevel gears. But it was relatively expensive to build and inclined to oil leaks, so its design was modified to a conventional side-valve layout by Morris Engines, which was put into production just for Morris cars in 1932. Meanwhile, Wolseley expanded their original design from four to six cylinders. That six-cylinder single OHC engine announced in September 1930 powered the Wolseley Hornet and several famous MG models. This tiny 6-cylinder SOHC engine eventually was made in three different sizes and its camshaft drive continued to evolve from the dynamo’s spindle to, in the end, an automatically tensioned single roller chain.

Morris Motors Limited

Main article: Morris Motors

Morris transferred his personal ownership of Wolseley to Morris Motors Limited as of 1 July 1935 and shortly all Wolseley models were badge-engineered Morris designs.

10 1140 cc saloon 1939
(Morris Ten)

18 2¼-litre 4-door Saloon 1937
(Morris Eighteen)

25 3½-litre saloon 1938
(Morris Twenty-Five)

Wolseley joined Morris, MG and later Riley/Autovia in the Morris Organisation later promoted as the Nuffield Organisation

Post WWII

14–56 police car

registered March 1937
a Morris Fourteen Six in police uniform

After the war Wolseley left Adderley Park, Morris and Wolseley production was consolidated at Cowley. The first post-war Wolseleys, the similar 4/50 and 6/80 models used overhead camshaft Wolseley engines, were otherwise based on the Morris Oxford MO and Morris Six MS but given the traditional Wolseley radiator grille. The Wolseley 6/80 was the flagship of the company and incorporated the best styling and features. The Wolseley engine of the 6/80 was also superior to the Morris delivering a higher BHP. The car was well balanced and demonstrated excellent road holding for its time. The British police used these as their squad cars well into the late sixties.

BMC

Main article: British Motor Corporation

Following the merger of Austin and Morris that created the British Motor Corporation (BMC), Wolseleys shared with MG and Riley common bodies and chassis, namely the 4/44 (later 15/50) and 6/90, which were closely related to the MG Magnette ZA/ZB and the Riley Pathfinder/Two-point-Six respectively.

In 1957 the Wolseley 1500 was based on the planned successor to the Morris Minor, sharing a bodyshell with the Riley One-Point-Five. The next year, the Wolseley 15/60 debuted the new mid-sized BMC saloon design penned by Pinin Farina. It was followed by similar vehicles from five marques within the year.

The Wolseley Hornet was based on the Austin and Morris Mini with a booted body style which was shared with Riley as the Elf. The 1500 was replaced with the Wolseley 1100 (BMC ADO16) in 1965, which became the Wolseley 1300 two years later. Finally, a version of the Austin 1800 was launched in 1967 as the Wolseley 18/85.

British Leyland

Main article: British Leyland

After the merger of BMC and Leyland to form British Leyland in 1969 the Riley marque, long overlapping with Wolseley, was retired. Wolseley continued in diminished form with the Wolseley Six of 1972, a variant of the Austin 2200, a six-cylinder version of the Austin 1800. It was finally killed off just three years later in favour of the Wolseley variant of the wedge-shaped 18–22 series saloon, which was never even given an individual model name, being badged just “Wolseley”, and sold only for seven months until that range was renamed as the Princess. This change thus spelled the end of the Wolseley marque after 74 years.

As of 2012 the Wolseley marque is owned by SAIC Motor, having been acquired by its subsidiary Nanjing Automobile following the break-up of the MG Rover Group. The Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machinery Company continued trading and is now Wolseley plc.

List of Wolseley vehicles

Main article: List of Wolseley automobiles

List of 1920s and 1930s Wolseley vehicles

Six open 2-seater 1904

12/16 limousine 1910

21/60 saloon 1934

Hornet Special open 2-seater 1933

Four-cylinder

1919–1923 Wolseley Seven

1919–1924 Wolseley Ten

1919–1924 Wolseley Fifteen

1922–1924 Wolseley Fourteen

1924–1928 Wolseley 11/22

1924–1927 Wolseley 16/35

1929–1930 Wolseley 12/32

1934–1935 Wolseley Nine

1935–1936 Wolseley Wasp

1936–1937 Wolseley 10/40

1936–1939 Wolseley 12/48

1939-1939 Wolseley Ten

Six-cylinder

1919–1924 Wolseley Twenty

1922–1924 Wolseley 24/30

1924–1927 Wolseley 24/55

1932 Wolseley Hornet 4-door saloon Wolseley Hornet six

1930–1936 Wolseley Hornet six OHC

1927–1931 Wolseley 16/45

1931–1932 Wolseley Viper (car)

Wolseley-vintage-12-32 1928–1930 Wolseley 12/32

1933–1935 Wolseley County

1933–1935 Wolseley Sixteen

1935–1936 Wolseley Fourteen

1935-1935 Wolseley Eighteen

1936–1938 Wolseley 14/56

1937–1938 Wolseley 18/80

1935–1937 Wolseley Super Six 16HP, 21HP, 25HP

1938–1941 Wolseley 14/60

1938–1941 Wolseley 16/65

1938–1941 Wolseley 18/85 (also produced in 1944, for the military)

1937–1940 Wolseley 16HP, 21HP, 25HP

Eight-cylinder

1928–1931 Wolseley 21/60 Straight Eight Overhead Cam 2700cc (536 produced)

1929–1930 Wolseley 32/80 Straight Eight Overhead Cam 4020cc (chassis only)

List of post-Second World War Wolseley vehicles

Wolseley often used a two-number system of model names. Until 1948, the first number was engine size in units of taxable horsepower as defined by the Royal Automobile Club. Thus, the 14/60 was rated at 14 hp (RAC) for tax purposes but actually produced 60 hp (45 kW). Later, the first number equalled the number of cylinders. After 1956, this number was changed to reflect the engine’s displacement for four-cylinder cars. Therefore, the seminal 15/60 was a 1.5-litre engine capable of producing 60 hp (45 kW). Eventually, the entire naming system was abandoned.

Four-cylinder

The 1961–69 Wolseley Hornet was based on the Mini.

Wolseley Six (BMC ADO17)

 Wolseley (18–22 series)

1939–1948 Wolseley Ten (Morris Ten)

1937–1948 Wolseley 12/48 (Post war version was the Series III)

Wolseley

1946–1948 Wolseley Eight similar to Morris Eight Series E

1947–1955 Nuffield Oxford Taxi (Morris Commercial design)

1948–1953  4/50 similar to Morris Oxford MO

1952–1956 Wolseley 4/44

1956–1958 Wolseley 15/50

(MG Magnette ZB)

1957–1965 Wolseley 1500 (similar to Riley One-Point-Five, based on Morris Minor)

1958–1961 Wolseley 15/60 (Austin A55 (Mark 2) Cambridge)

1961–1969 Wolseley Hornet (similar to Riley Elf, based on Mini)

1961–1971 Wolseley 16/60 (Austin A60 Cambridge)

1965–1974 Wolseley 1100/1300 (BMC ADO16)

1967–1971 Wolseley 18/85 (BMC ADO17)

Vanden Plas Princess 1100 four-door saloon

1968–???? Wolseley 11/55 (South African variant of BMC ADO16) 

Six-cylinder

1939 Wolseley 14-60 Series III 6-light saloon

1938–1948 Wolseley 14/60 (Post war version was the Series III)

1938–1948 Wolseley 18/85 (Post war version was the Series III)

Wolseley 25 Series III. The Wolseley Series III 25 was launched in 1938 mechanically very much as the Series II model (and therefore as the Morris 25). The Steel body was the new feature for the Series III and differed from Morris equivalents.

1938–1948 Wolseley 25 (Post war version was the Series III)

1948–1954 Wolseley 6/80 (Morris Six)

1954–1959 Wolseley 6/90 (Riley Pathfinder/Riley Two-Point-Six)

1959–1961 Wolseley 6/99 (Austin A99 Westminster)

1961–1968 Wolseley 6/110 (Austin A110 Westminster)

1962–1965 Wolseley 24/80 (Australian version of 15/60 and 16/60, but six-cylinder; similar to Austin Freeway)

1972–1975 Wolseley Six (BMC ADO17)

March–October 1975 Wolseley saloon (18–22 series)Also produced (dates to be confirmed):

Wolseley 16/60 Wolseley 4/60 (Dutch version of 16/60)

Wolseley 300 (Danish version of 6/99 and 6/110)

Aero engines

Wolseley also produced a number of aircraft engine designs, although there were no major design wins.

Wolseley 1908 30 hp 4-cyl.

Wolseley 1909 50 hp V-8 air-cooled

Wolseley 1909 54 hp V-8 water-cooled 3.74″ x 5.00″

Wolseley 1911 Type B 80 hp V-8

Wolseley 1911 Type C 60 hp V-8

Wolseley 1912 160hp V-8

Wolseley A.R.7 Aquarius I

Wolseley A.R.9 Aries III

Wolseley W.4A Python

Wolseley W.4A Viper

Wolseley W.4B Adder

Wolseley Leo

Wolseley Libra

Wolseley Scorpio

Wolseley Aero Engines Ltd. was a subsidiary formed around 1931 to design aero engines. When Wolseley Motors Limited was transferred to Morris Motors Limited on 1 July 1935 this part of its business was set aside by W. R. Morris (Lord Nuffield) and put in the ownership of a newly incorporated company, Wolseley Aero Engines Ltd, and remained his personal property. By 1942 the name of that company had become Nuffield Mechanizations Limited.

They were developing an advanced Wolseley radial aero engine of about 250 horsepower, but the project was abandoned in September 1936 when W. R. Morris got the fixed price I.T.P. (Intention to Proceed) contract papers (which would have required an army of chartered accountants) and decided to deal only with the War Office and Admiralty, not the Air Ministry (see Airspeed).

Pictures from my collection, collected from the World Wide Web:

L0000762 Wolseley autocars, advertisment, 1913.
Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images
images@wellcome.ac.uk
http://wellcomeimages.org
Wolseley autocars, advertisment, 1913.
British Medical Journal
Published: 4th January 1913
Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Wolseley Fourteen. Sold in 1935 and 1936

Woldeley Wasp (1935)

Wolseley 10/40 Series II. Soild from 1936-37, the Wolseley 10/40 Series II borrowed heavily from the Morris 10/4 Series II, sharing the same 1292cc ohv 4cylinder engine (which was also shared with the MG TA.

Wolseley 8 (1947)

Wolseley

Wolseley 4/50. Launched at the 1948 Motor Show as a variant of the Morris Oxford MO, the Wolseley 4/50 used a 4-cylinder 1476cc version of its sibling’s 6-cylinder ohc engine

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Wolseley 4/50. Walnut and leather inside gave the Wolseley 4/50 an upmarket feel over its Morris Oxford MO sibling.

Wolseley 16/60

The big Wolseley 6/110 became the 6/110 Mk II in May 1964 and, like the Austin equivalent, was the best of the three derivatives of this model range. The mechanical changes made to upgrade the Wolseley – of which the most important wre the fitment of a new four-speed manual transmission and the rejigging of the suspension settings – were identical to those made for the Austin, but no exterior styling changes. For eagle-eyed observers, the use of smaller-diameter (13in) road wheels gave the game away, and there was also a distinctive boot-lid badge.

Wolseley 18/85 Series III Police car. The 18/85 was a fast car and was liked by Police forces, as was its successor the Wolseley 6/80.

Wolseley 25 Series III. The Wolseley Series III 25 was launched in 1938 mechanically very much as the Series II model (and therefore as the Morris 25). The Steel body was the new feature for the Series III and differed from Morris equivalents.

Wolseley Hornet Special 1934 – badge

1931 Wolseley Hornet Tourer RHD

See also

• Arthur John McCormack
• Wolseley Racing
• The Wolseley restaurant in the ground floor showrooms of Wolseley House, 160 Piccadilly, London
• List of aircraft engine manufacturers
• List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom

Notes

1. Jump up^ in 1914 and 1919 respectively
2. Jump up^ “The Wolseley Tool and Motor-Car Company Limited has absorbed the Siddeley Autocar Company Limited and has acquired Niagara Westminster for premises for a London office and garage. The two companies have long been associated, the Siddeley cars being made by the Wolseley company. The London Motor Omnibus Company has placed an order for 25 Wolseley omnibuses each with a seating capacity for 34 passengers.” The Times, Monday, 13 Feb 1905; pg. 9; Issue 3762

References

1. Jump up^ Vickers Sons And Maxim Limited. The Times, Wednesday, Nov 17, 1897; pg. 4; Issue 35363
2. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r} St John C Nixon. Wolseley, a saga of the Motor Industry, G T Foulis & Co, London, 1949
3. Jump up^ Baker, John. “Herbert Austin”. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
4. Jump up^ “The Wolseley Gasoline Carriage”. The Horseless Age. 8 (27): 562. 2 October 1901. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
5. ^ Jump up to:^a b c RAC Rating
6. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Bill Smith, Armstrong Siddeley Motors Dorchester, Veloce, 2006; p.55; ISBN 9781904788362
7. Jump up^ “City Notes”. The Times (44569). 30 April 1927. p. 18.
8. Jump up^ “Siddeley Autocar”. The Times (38805). 16 November 1908. p. 4.
9. ^ Jump up to:^a b Baldwin, Nick “The Wolseley”, Shire, Princes Risborough UK, 1995. ISBN 0-7478-0297-1
10. Jump up^ Paolo Ferrari (ed.), L’aeronautica italiana: una storia del Novecento, FrancoAngeli Storia, Milan, 2004
11. Jump up^ Flight magazine 8 January 1910
12. Jump up^ The Rise and Decline of the British Motor Industry By Roy A. Church, Economic History Society, 1994
13. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Wolseley Motors (Limited). Meeting of Debenture Holders”. The Times (42236). 21 October 1919. p. 23.
14. Jump up^ R. M. Downes, The Campaign in Sinai and Palestine 1938, in A. G. Butler’s Gallipoli, Palestine and New Guinea of Official History of the Australian Army Medical Services, 1914–1918 Part II in Volume 1 (Australian War Memorial: Canberra pp. 636–7
15. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Wolseley Motors”. The Times (44389). 29 September 1926. p. 20.
16. Jump up^ James Leasor Wheels to Fortune, Stratus, Cornwall UK 2001. ISBN 0-7551-0047-6
17. Jump up^ “Wolseley House Sold. Purchase by Barclays Bank”. The Times(44294). 10 June 1926. p. 16.
18. Jump up^ “City Notes”. The Times (44416). 30 October 1926. p. 18.
19. Jump up^ Georgano, N. (2000). Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London: HMSO. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
20. Jump up^ “Wolseley And M.G. Companies”. The Times (47090). 14 June 1935. p. 20.
21. Jump up^ Timeline 1968, www.ado16.info Retrieved on 26 September 2013

• Lambert, Z.E. and Wyatt, R.J, (1968). Lord Austin – The Man. Altrincham: Sidgwick and Jackson.
• Bird, Anthony, (undated but probably 1966) The Horizontal Engined Wolseleys, 1900–1905. London: Profile Publications Ltd.

• Wolseley Super-Six brochure 1935 from the Bodleian Library

RILEY Automobiles and Motorcycles Coventry, England, UK

Riley Motor

http://www.classiccarcatalogue.com/RILEY%201948.html

http://rileyrob.co.uk/specs/guide.htm

This article is about the British car manufacturer. For the American racing-car manufacturer, see Riley Technologies.

The Riley Cycle Company Limited (1896–1912)
Riley (Coventry) Limited (1912–1950)
Riley Motors Limited (1950–1960)

“As old as the industry, as modern as the hour”
Industry	Automotive
Fate	Acquired by William Morris in 1938 thereafter with Morris Motors Limited
Successor	Nuffield Organisation
Founded	1896 as The Riley Cycle Company
Headquarters	Coventry, England
Key people	William Riley (1851–1944) William Victor Riley (1876–1958) Allan Riley (c.1880– ) Percy Riley (1882–1941) Stanley Riley (c.1889–1952) Cecil Riley (c. 1895– )

12/18 c. 1910

and chauffeur for William Beveridge

Riley was a British motorcar and bicycle manufacturer from 1890. Riley became part of the Nuffield Organisation in 1938 and was merged into the British Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968. ln July 1969 British Leyland announced the immediate end of Riley production, although 1969 was a difficult year for the UK auto industry and cars from Riley’s inventory may have been first registered in 1970.

Today, the Riley trademark is owned by BMW.

Riley Cycle Company

The business began as the Bonnick Cycle Company of Coventry, England. In 1890 during the pedal cycle craze that swept Britain at the end of the 19th century William Riley Jr. who had interests in the textile industry purchased the business and in 1896 incorporated a company to own it named The Riley Cycle Company Limited. Later, cycle gear maker Sturmey Archer was added to the portfolio. Riley’s middle son, Percy, left school in the same year and soon began to dabble in automobiles. He built his first car at 16, in 1898, secretly, because his father did not approve. It featured the first mechanically operated inlet valve. By 1899, Percy Riley moved from producing motorcycles to his first prototype four-wheeled quadricycle. Little is known about Percy Riley’s first “motor-car”. It is, however, well attested that the engine featured mechanically operated cylinder valves at a time when other engines depended on the vacuum effect of the descending piston to suck the inlet valve(s) open. That was demonstrated some years later when Benz developed and patented a mechanically operated inlet valve process of their own but were unable to collect royalties on their system from British companies; the courts were persuaded that the system used by British auto-makers was based on the one pioneered by Percy, which had comfortably anticipated equivalent developments in Germany. In 1900, Riley sold a single three-wheeled automobile. Meanwhile, the elder of the Riley brothers, Victor Riley, although supportive of his brother’s embryonic motor-car enterprise, devoted his energies to the core bicycle business.

Riley’s founder William Riley remained resolutely opposed to diverting the resources of his bicycle business into motor cars, and in 1902 three of his sons, Victor, Percy and younger brother Allan Riley pooled resources, borrowed a necessary balancing amount from their mother and in 1903 established the separate Riley Engine Company, also in Coventry. A few years later the other two Riley brothers, Stanley and Cecil, having left school joined their elder brothers in the business. At first, the Riley Engine Company simply supplied engines for Riley motorcycles and also to Singer, a newly emerging motorcycle manufacturer in the area, but the Riley Engine Company soon began to focus on four-wheeled automobiles. Their Vee-Twin Tourer prototype, produced in 1905, can be considered the first proper Riley car. The Riley Engine Company expanded the next year. William Riley reversed his former opposition to his sons’ preference for motorised vehicles and Riley Cycle halted motorcycle production in 1907 to focus on automobiles. Bicycle production also ceased in 1911.

In 1912, the Riley Cycle Company changed its name to Riley (Coventry) Limited as William Riley focused it on becoming a wire-spoked wheel supplier for the burgeoning motor industry, the detachable wheel having been invented (and patented) by Percy and distributed to over 180 motor manufacturers, and by 1912 the father’s business had also dropped automobile manufacture in order to concentrate capacity and resources on the wheels. Exploitation of this new and rapidly expanding lucrative business sector made commercial sense for William Riley, but the abandonment of his motor-bicycle and then of his automobile business which had been the principal customer for his sons’ Riley Engine Company enforced a rethink on the engine business.

Riley (Coventry) Limited

Riley (Coventry) Limited share certificate issued 17 May 1937

In early 1913, Percy was joined by three of his brothers (Victor, Stanley, and Allan) to focus on manufacturing entire automobiles. The works was located near Percy’s Riley Engine Company. The first new model, the 17/30, was introduced at the London Motor Show that year. Soon afterwards, Stanley Riley founded yet another business, the Nero Engine Company, to produce his own 4-cylinder 10 hp (7.5 kW) car. Riley also began manufacturing aeroplane engines and became a key supplier in Britain’s buildup for World War I.

In 1918, after the war, the Riley companies were restructured. Nero joined Riley (Coventry) as the sole producer of automobiles. Riley Motor Manufacturing under the control of Allan Riley became Midland Motor Bodies, a coachbuilder for Riley. Riley Engine Company continued under Percy as the engine supplier. At this time, Riley’s blue diamond badge, designed by Harry Rush, also appeared. The motto was “As old as the industry, as modern as the hour.”

Riley grew rapidly through the 1920s and 1930s. The Riley Engine Company produced 4-, 6-, and 8-cylinder engines, while Midland built more than a dozen different bodies. Riley models at this time included:

• Saloons: Adelphi, ‘Continental'(Close-coupled Touring Saloon), Deauville, Falcon, Kestrel, Mentone, Merlin, Monaco, Stelvio, Victor
• Coupes: Ascot, Lincock
• Tourers: Alpine, Lynx, Gamecock
• Sports: Brooklands, Imp, MPH, Sprite
• Limousines: Edinburgh, Winchester

Introduced in 1926 in a humble but innovatively designed fabric bodied saloon, Percy Riley’s ground-breaking Riley 9 engine- a small capacity, high revving unit- was ahead of its time in many respects. Having hemispherical combustion chambers and inclined overhead valves, it has been called the most significant engine development of the 1920s. With twin camshafts set high in the cylinder block and valves operated by short pushrods, it provided power and efficiency without the servicing complexity of an OHC (overhead camshaft) layout. It soon attracted the attention of tuners and builders of ‘specials’ intended for sporting purposes. One such was engineer/driver J.G. Parry-Thomas, who conceived the Riley ‘Brooklands’ (initially called the ‘9’ Speed Model) in his workshops at the banked Surrey circuit. After Parry-Thomas was killed during a land speed record attempt in 1927, his close collaborator Reid Railton stepped in to finish the job. Officially backed by Riley, the Brooklands, along with later developments and variations such as the ‘Ulster’ Imp, MPH, and Sprite, proved some of the most successful works and privateer racing cars of the late 1920s and early 1930s. At Le Mans in 1934, Rileys finished 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 12th, winning the Rudge-Whitworth Cup, the Team Prize, two class awards, and the Ladies’ Prize. Rileys also distinguished themselves at the Ulster TT, at Brooklands itself, and at smaller events like hill climbs, while providing a platform for the success of motorsports’ first women racing drivers such as Kay Petre, Dorothy Champney and Joan Richmond. Another engineer/driver,Freddie Dixon, was responsible for extensive improvements to engine and chassis tuning, creating a number of ‘specials’ that exploited the basic Riley design still further, and contributed greatly to its success on the track.

For series production, the engine configuration was extended into a larger 12 horsepower ‘4’, six-cylinder and even V8 versions, powering an increasingly bewildering range of touring and sports cars. The soundness and longevity of the engine design is illustrated by Mike Hawthorn’s early racing success after WW2 in pre-war Rileys, in particular his father’s Sprite. By about 1936, however, the business had overextended, with too many models and few common parts, and the emergence of Jaguar at Coventry was a direct challenge. Disagreements between the Riley brothers about the future direction of the enterprise grew. Victor Riley had set up a new ultra-luxury concern, 1938 Autovia, to produce a V8 saloon and limousine to compete with Rolls-Royce. By contrast, Percy, however, did not favour an entry into the luxury market, and the Riley Engine Company had been renamed PR Motors to be a high-volume supplier of engines and components. Although the rest of the Riley companies would go on to become part of Nuffield and then BMC, PR Motors remained independent. After the death of Percy Riley in 1941, his business began producing transmission components and still exists today, producing marine and off-highway vehicle applications, as PRM Newage Limited based in Aldermans Green, Coventry. Percy’s widow Norah ran his business for many years and was Britain’s businesswoman of the year in 1960.

Riley sports saloons and coupés

Nine Biarritz 4-door saloon 1930 Nine Monaco 4-door saloon 1932 Nine Gamecock 2/4-str sports 1932 Nine Lynx instrument panel Nine Lynx tourer 1934 Nine Merlin 4-light saloon 1935 Nine Kestrel 4-light saloon 1934 12/4 Kestrel 4-light saloon 1934 1½-litre Kestrel 4-light saloon 1935 1½-litre Kestrel 6-light saloon 1938 Riley 12/4 Kestrel 6-Light 16/4 2½-litre Kestrel 6-light saloon 1937 16/4 2½-litre Kestrel 6-light saloon 1937 14/6 Lincock fixed head coupé ’34 1½-litre Falcon 4-door saloon 1935 15/6 Adelphi six-light Saloon 1935 12/4 Lynx sports tourer 1937 12/4 Continental sports saloon 1937 Twelve six-light saloon 1939 First Nuffield Model

Riley racing and sports cars
Nine Brooklands open 2-seater 1931 1½-litre Sprite TT Replica 1935 1½-litre Sprite 2-seater sports 1936 Nine MPH 2-seater sports 1936 Vincent MPH replica

Nuffield Organisation

Riley 12/4 Kestrel 6-Light

 

2½-litre Kestrel 1938
with the new Big Four engine

 RMD 2½-litre drophead coupé 1950

RMA 1½-litre saloon as a weddingcar 1951

 RMH 2½-litre Pathfinder 1953
the last real Riley with the Big Four engine 1956 example

By 1937, Riley began to look to other manufacturers for partnerships. A contract with Briggs Motor Bodies of Dagenham to provide all-steel bodies for a cheaper, more mass-market saloon had already turned sour, with dozens of unsold bodies littering the factory. It had withdrawn from works racing after its most successful year, 1934, although it continued to supply engines for the ERA, a voiturette (Formula 2) racing car based on the supercharged 6-cylinder ‘White Riley’, developed by ERA founder Raymond Mays in the mid-thirties. BMW of Munich, Germany was interested in expanding its range into England. But the Riley brothers were more interested in a larger British concern, and looked to Triumph Motor Company, also of Coventry, as a natural fit. In February 1938, all negotiations were suspended. On 24 February the directors placed Riley (Coventry) Limited and Autovia in voluntary receivership. On 10 March the Triumph board announced merger negotiations had been dropped.

It was announced on 9 September 1938 that the assets and goodwill of Riley Motors (Coventry) Limited had been purchased from the receiver by Lord Nuffield and he would on completion transfer ownership to Morris Motors Limited “on terms which will show very considerable financial advantage to the company, resulting in further consolidation of its financial position”. Mr Victor Riley then said this did not mean that the company would cease its activities. On 30 September Victor Riley announced that Riley (Coventry) Limited would be wound up but it would appear that the proceeds of liquidation would be insufficient to meet the amount due to debenture holders. Nuffield paid £143,000 for the business and a new company was formed, Riley Motors Limited. However, in spite of the announced intention to wind-up Riley (Coventry) Limited, perhaps for tax reasons, continued under the management of Victor Riley presumably with the necessary consents of debenture holders (part paid) creditors (nothing) and former shareholders (nothing). Nuffield passed ownership to his Morris Motors Limited for £100. Along with other Morris Motors subsidiaries Wolseley and MG, Riley would later be promoted as a member of the (1951) Nuffield Organisation. Riley Motors Limited seems to have begun trading at the end of the 1940s when Riley (Coventry) Limited disappeared..

Nuffield took quick measures to firm up the Riley business. Autovia was no more, with just 35 cars having been produced. Riley refocused on the 4-cylinder market with two engines: A 1.5-litre 12 hp engine and the “Big Four”, a 2.5-litre 16 hp unit (The hp figures are RAC Rating, and bear no relationship to bhp or kW). Only a few bodies were produced prior to the onset of war in 1939, and some components were shared with Morris for economies of scale. Though they incorporated a number of mechanical improvements- notably a Nuffield synchromesh gearbox- they were essentially interim models, suffering a loss of Riley character in the process. The new management responded to the concerns of the marque’s loyal adherents by re-introducing the Kestrel 2.5 litre Sports Saloon in updated form, but as the factory was turned over to wartime production this was a short-lived development.

After World War II, Riley took up the old engines in new models, based in concept on the 1936-8 ‘Continental’, a fashionable ‘notchback’ design whose name had been changed prior to release to ‘Close-Coupled Touring Saloon’ owing to feared objections from Rolls-Royce. The RMA used the 1.5-litre engine, while the RMB got the Big Four. Both engines, being derived from pre-war models, lent themselves as power units for specials and new specialist manufacturers, such as Donald Healey. The RM line of vehicles, sold under the “Magnificent Motoring” tag line, were to be a re-affirmation of Riley values in both road behaviour and appearance. ‘Torsionic’ front independent suspension and steering design inspired by the CitroënTraction Avant provided precise handling; their flowing lines were particularly well-balanced, marrying pre-war ‘coachbuilt’ elegance to more modern features, such as headlamps faired into the front wings. The RMC, a 3-seater roadster was an unsuccessful attempt to break into the American market, while the RMD was an elegant 4/5-seater two-door drophead, of which again few were made. The 1.5-litre RME and 2.5-litre RMF were later developments of the saloon versions, which continued in production into the mid-fifties.

Victor Riley was removed by Nuffield in 1947. In early 1949 the Coventry works were made an extension of Morris Motors’ engine branch. Riley production was consolidated with MG at Abingdon. Wolseley production was moved to Cowley. Nuffield’s marques were then organised in a similar way to those of General Motors: Morris was the value line, and Wolseley the luxury marque. Aside from their small saloons MG largely offered spartan performance, especially with their open sports cars, while Riley sought to be both sporty and luxurious. With Wolseley also fighting for the top position, however, the range was crowded and confused.

British Motor Corporation

Two-Point-Six saloon 1959

4/72 saloon 1965

One-Point-Five saloon 1965

Kestrel saloon 1968

Elf Mk III saloon 1968

The confusion became critical in 1952 with the merger of Nuffield and Austin as the British Motor Corporation. Now, Riley was positioned between MG and Wolseley and most Riley models would become, like those, little more than badge-engineered versions of Austin/Morris designs.

The first all-new Riley under BMC, however, was designated the RMH, and because of its distinctive engine and suspension design, has been called ‘the last real Riley’. This was the Pathfinder, with Riley’s familiar 2.5-litre four developed to produce 110 bhp. (The RMG ‘Wayfarer’, a projected 1.5-litre version, was rejected as underpowered). The Pathfinder body was later reworked and, with a different engine and rear suspension, sold as the Wolseley 6/90. The Riley lost its distinct (though externally subtle) differences in 1958, and the 6/90 of that year was available badge engineered as a Riley Two-Point-Six 1957 Riley two-point-six 1957 207 CWL. Although this was the only postwar 6-cylinder Riley, its C-Series engine was actually less powerful than the Riley Big Four that it replaced. This was to be the last large Riley, with the model dropped in May 1959 and Riley refocusing on the under-2-litre segment.

Riley and Wolseley were linked in small cars as well. Launched in 1957, the Riley One-Point-Five and Wolseley 1500 were based on the unused but intended replacement for the Morris Minor. They shared their exteriors, but the Riley was marketed as the more performance-oriented option, having an uprated engine, twin S.U. carburetters and a close-ratio gearbox. With its good handling, compact, sports-saloon styling and well-appointed interior, the One-Point-Five quite successfully recaptured the character of the 1930s light saloons.

At the top of the Riley line for April 1959 was the new Riley 4/Sixty-Eight saloon. Again, it was merely a badge-engineered version of other BMC models. The steering was perhaps the worst feature of the car, being Austin-derived cam and peg rather than the rack and pinion of the One-Point-Five. Overall, it could not provide the sharp and positive drive associated with previous Rileys, being based on the humble Austin Cambridge and Morris Oxford. Sharing many features with the similarly upmarket MG Magnette Mark III and Wolseley 15/60, it was the most luxurious of the versions, which were all comfortable and spacious, and (nominally) styled by Farina. The car was refreshed, along with its siblings, in 1961 and rebadged the 4/Seventy-Two.

The early 1960s also saw the introduction of the Mini-based Riley Elf. Again, a Wolseley model (the Hornet) was introduced simultaneously. This time, the Riley and Wolseley versions were differentiated visually by their grilles but identical mechanically.

The final model of the BMC era was the Kestrel 1100/1300, based on the Austin/Morris 1100/1300 saloon. This also had stablemates in Wolseley and MG versions. Following objections from diehard Riley enthusiasts, the Kestrel name was dropped for the last facelift in 1968, the Riley 1300.

Between 1966 and 1968 a series of mergers took place in the British motor industry, ultimately creating the British Leyland Motor Corporation, whose management embarked on a programme of rationalisation—in which the Riley marque was an early casualty. A BLMC press release was reported in The Times of 9 July 1969: “British Leyland will stop making Riley cars from today. “With less than 1 per cent of the home market, they are not viable” the company said last night. The decision will end 60 years of motoring history. No other marques in the British Leyland stable are likely to suffer the same fate “in the foreseeable future”.

In spite of the decline of the marque under BMC, surviving well-preserved examples of the period are now considered desirable classics, the Riley ‘face’ and badge lending a distinctive character. The needs of enthusiasts are met by the Riley Motor Club, the original factory Club founded in 1925.

The future

Riley production ended with the 1960s, and the marque became dormant. The last Riley badged car was produced in 1969. For many enthusiasts, however, the name of Riley still has resonance into the 21st century. Many of the original racing Rileys compete regularly in VSCC (Vintage Sports Car Club) events, and pre-war racing ‘specials’ continue to be created (controversially) from tired or derelict saloons. For a short while, following BMW’s purchase of the Rover Group in 1994, there were hopes that Riley might be revived, since the then Chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder was an enthusiast for many of the defunct British marques. After Pischetsrieder’s removal in 1999, and BMW‘s divestment of the MG Rover Group in 2000, however, these hopes faded; though the rights to the Triumph and Riley marques, along with Mini were retained by BMW.

In 2007, William Riley, who claims to be a descendant of the Riley family, although this has been disputed, formed MG Sports and Racing Europe Ltd. This new business acquired assets relating to the MG XPower SVsportscar from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the administrators of the defunct MG Rover Group, and intended to continue production of the model as the MG XPower WR.

In September 2010 the motor magazine ‘Autocar’ reported that BMW were considering the revival of the Riley brand in the form of a variant of the redesigned MINI. This would most likely be a luxury version taking its cues from the ‘Elf’ of 1961-9, with a ‘notchback’ (booted) body, and the interior trimmed in wood and leather in the manner of earlier Rileys. No sources were quoted, however, and in the absence of any statement from BMW reports of the possible resurrection of Riley must be regarded as highly speculative. ‘Autocar’ reiterated this information in April 2016.

List of Riley vehicles

Pre-World War I

• 1907–1911 Riley 9
• 1907–1907 Riley 12
• 1909–1914 Riley 10
• 1908–1914 Riley 12/18
• 1915–1916 Riley 10

Inter-war years

• 1913–1922 Riley 17/30
• 1919–1924 Riley Eleven
• 1925–1928 Riley Twelve
• 1926–1937 Riley Nine
• 1929–1934 Riley 14/6
• 1933–1935 Riley 12/6
• 1935–1935 Riley 12/4
• 1935–1938 Riley 15/6
• 1935–1938 Riley 1½-litre
• 1936–1938 Riley 8/90 V8
• 1937–1940 Riley 16
• 1938–1938 Riley Victor
• 1939–1940 Riley 12 Nuffield body

Notable bodies

• 1927–1931 Riley Brooklands Nine
• 1934–1935 Riley Imp Nine
• 1934–1935 Riley MPH 12/6 14/6 or 15/6
• 1936–1938 Riley Sprite 12/4 1½ litre

Post-war

• Roadster
  • 1948–1951 RMC
  • 1949–1951 RMD
• Mid-sized
  • 1945–1952 RMA
  • 1952–1955 RME
  • 1957–1965 One-Point-Five (Wolseley 1500)
  • 1959–1961 4/Sixty-Eight (Wolseley 15/60)
  • 1961–1969 4/Seventy-Two (Wolseley 16/60)
• Large
  • 1946–1952 RMB
  • 1952–1953 RMF
  • 1953–1957 Pathfinder
  • 1958–1959 Two-Point-Six (Wolseley 6/90)
• Mini
  • 1961–1969 Elf (Mini)
• Compact
  • 1965–1969 Riley Kestrel/1300 (Morris 1100)

Riley 1.5litre Sprite with Kestrel body 1936. The 6-light Kestrel body was given to the new 1½-litre car in 1936

Riley 12/4 Kestrel 6-Light

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Notes

1. Jump up^ Information extracted from Notice issued in compliance with the Regulations of the Committee of The Stock Exchange, London (with regard to the issue of 150,000 Preference Shares of £1 each on 17 January 1934).

   The Company was incorporated in England on 25 June 1896 under the name The Riley Cycle Company Limited, changed to Riley (Coventry) Limited on 30 March 1912.

   In and around the year 1927 closer working arrangements were made between the Company and the Riley Engine Company and the Midland Motor Body Company whereby the designing and manufacturing resources of the three businesses were pooled.

   (During 1932) these two associated concerns were absorbed by the Company which became a completely self-contained manufacturing unit on modern lines.

   The Company’s works at Coventry and Hendon cover a combined area of 16½ acres, in addition to which the Company owns adjoining land at Coventry of approximately 6 acres.

   About 2,200 workpeople are regularly employed.
   Riley (Coventry) Limited. The Times, Thursday, 18 January 1934; pg. 18; Issue 46655

2. Jump up^ Riley Motors Limited, Company no. 00344156 was incorporated 8 September 1938—and changed its name in 1994 to BLMC Engineering Limited. Curiously the name Riley (Coventry) Limited continued to be used in all Nuffield group advertising until 1946 as if the original company had not been liquidated but continued to survive.
   Riley Motors Limited was used in all advertising between 1950 and July 1960

References

1. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Peter King (1989). The Motor Men: Pioneers of the British Car Industry. Quiller. ISBN 1-870948-23-8.
2. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f g h} “‘Renowned since ’98“. Motor. Vol. nbr 3515. 1 November 1969. pp. 19–22.
3. Jump up^ Riley (Coventry) Limited. The Times, Thursday, 18 January 1934; pg. 18; Issue 46655
4. Jump up^ “Collections”. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
5. Jump up^ The Future Of Riley (Coventry).The Times, Saturday, 26 February 1938; pg. 17; Issue 47929.
6. Jump up^ Merger Negotiations Dropped. The Times, Friday, 11 March 1938; pg. 21; Issue 47940.
7. Jump up^ Riley Motors. Purchase by Lord Nuffield, The Times, Saturday, 10 September 1938; pg. 17; Issue 48096
8. Jump up^ Riley (Coventry) Winding Up. The Times, Saturday, 1 October 1938; pg. 17; Issue 48114
9. ^ Jump up to:^a b Obituary, Mr. Victor Riley. The Times, Tuesday, 11 February 1958; pg. 10; Issue 54072
10. Jump up^ Report of the A.G.M. of Morris Motors Limited, The Manchester Guardian; 9 May 1939;
11. Jump up^ rileyrob.co.uk/specials/index.htm
12. Jump up^ M.G. and Riley to combine, The Manchester Guardian; 22 January 1949; p.6
13. Jump up^ News in Brief. End of the line for Riley. The Times, Wednesday, 9 July 1969; pg. 2; Issue 57607
14. Jump up^ Riley, V. W. (19 July 2008). “Riley dynastic claim is a non-starter”. Financial Times. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
15. Jump up^ “MG is back on the road”. Birmingham Mail. Midland Newspapers Limited. 8 April 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
16. Jump up^ “Mini Countryman Coupe revealed – Autocar”. http://www.autocar.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
17. Jump up^ “Mini saloon to be fifth model in new-look range – Autocar”. http://www.autocar.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2017.

• Brochures (incomplete)

1930 Riley Nine

1937 Riley Motors

• Riley 12-18 tourer 1909
• The Riley RM Club – The Club for the Preservation of all Rileys from 1945-1957
• Riley Motor Club ‘The Club for all Rileys’
• The 1100 Club based in the UK
• Austin and Longbridge All about the history of Longbridge and models produced

Riley (merk)

1936 Riley Sprite, 85PS, 1500ccm, open two-seater

Riley Sprite

Riley is een historisch merk van motorfietsen en automobielen.

De bedrijfsnaam was Riley Cycle Co. Ltd., City Works, Coventry (1899–1908).

Riley was een Engels merk, opgericht door William Riley, dat in 1901 motorfietsen ging maken, nadat al eerder driewielers met De Dion-motor werden geproduceerd.

De merknaam Riley is in handen van BMW.

Motorfietsen

De motorfietsen werden aangedreven door motorblokken van Minerva en MMC. Die laatste waren overigens in licentie geproduceerde De Dions. In 1903 probeerden William’s zoons Percy, Victor en Allan hun vader en hun oom te overreden een bedrijf te kopen waar men zelf motorblokken kon bouwen. William en zijn broer wilden er niet aan beginnen, maar de zoons kregen toch financiële steun en richtten de Riley Engine Company op. Zodoende beschikte Riley vanaf 1904 over eigen 2-, 2½- en 2¾ pk eencilinders en V-twins. In dat jaar waren er fietsen, twee- en driewielers in productie. In 1908 werd de productie beëindigd en Riley ging automobielen maken.

Automobielen

• 1907-1911 Riley 9
• 1907-1907 Riley 12
• 1909-1914 Riley 10
• 1908-1914 Riley 12/18
• 1915-1916 Riley 10

• 1913-1922 Riley 17/30
• 1919-1924 Riley Eleven
• 1925-1928 Riley Twelve
• 1926-1937 Riley Nine
• 1927-1931 Riley Brooklands
• 1928-1937 Riley Six
• 1929-1934 Riley 14/6
• 1933-1935 Riley 12/6
• 1934-1935 Riley Imp
• 1934-1935 Riley MPH
• 1935-1938 Riley 15/6
• 1935-1938 Riley 1 1/2 litre
• 1936-1938 Riley Sprite
• 1936-1938 Riley 8/90
• 1937-1938 Riley Big Four
• 1938-1938 Riley Victor
• 1939-1940 Riley 12
• 1939-1940 Riley 16

• Roadster
  • 1948-1951 RMC
  • 1949-1951 RMD
• Mid-sized
  • 1945-1952 RMA
  • 1952-1955 RME
  • 1957-1965 One-Point-Five (Wolseley 1500)
  • 1959-1961 4/Sixty-Eight (Wolseley 15/60)
  • 1961-1969 4/Seventy-Two (Wolseley 16/60)
• Large
  • 1946-1952 RMB
  • 1952-1953 RMF
  • 1953-1957 Pathfinder (Wolseley 6/90)
  • 1958-1959 Two-Point-Six (Wolseley 6/90)
• Mini
  • 1961-1969 Elf (Mini)
• Compact
  • 1965-1969 Riley Kestrel/1300 (Morris 1100)
  • 2007-2008 De Engelsen laten het niet over hun kant gaan dat Jan en alleman er met hun automobiele historie vandoor gaat. Op de plek waar vroeger TVR zat, wordt nu weer een oud merk nieuw leven ingeblazen.

William Riley, een nakomeling van de oprichter van het merk, wil in Blackpool, op de plek waar vroeger TVR’s werden gebouwd het merk Riley opnieuw gaan stichten. Riley kwam in 1907 voort uit een bedrijf dat fietsen maakte. In 1969 ging het onder de vleugels van British Leyland ter ziele. Aanvankelijk wilde William Riley zijn auto’s gaan bouwen op de basis van TVR-modellen. Nu is het plan de auto te baseren op de MG SV. Die sportauto was nauwelijks op de markt toen in 2005 MG Rover failliet ging. Van de SV zouden zeshonderd exemplaren worden gebouwd, maar uiteindelijk is het gebleven bij een handjevol. Riley is inmiddels druk bezig in Blackpool de weg te plaveien voor een wedergeboorte. Als alles goed gaat, worden in 2010 1.800 auto’s gebouwd en werken er honderd mensen.

Heropleving

William Riley, een nakomeling van de oprichter van het merk, wil in Blackpool, op de plek waar vroeger TVR’s werden gebouwd het merk Riley opnieuw oprichten. Aanvankelijk wilde William Riley zijn auto’s gaan bouwen op de basis van TVR-modellen. Nu is het plan de auto te baseren op de MG XPower SV. Deze sportauto was nauwelijks op de markt toen in 2005 MG Rover failliet ging. Van de SV zouden zeshonderd exemplaren worden gebouwd, maar uiteindelijk is het gebleven bij een handjevol. Men wil in 2010 1.800 auto’s bouwen.

#######

Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motors

Rolls-Royce

and

Bentley Motors

This article is about the company prior to its acquisition by Volkswagen. For the current car manufacturers, see Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and Bentley. For other uses, see Rolls-Royce (disambiguation).

Rolls-Royce Motors

The Rolls-Royce logo
Former type	Private
Industry	Automotive
Fate	Sold to Volkswagen Group
Successor	Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited
Founded	1973
Defunct	1998; 19 years ago
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Automobiles
Net income	120 million (2008 est.)
Owner	Vickers plc

Rolls-Royce Motors was a British car manufacturer, created in 1973 during the de-merger of the Rolls-Royce automotive business from the nationalisedRolls-Royce Limited. Vickers acquired the company in 1980 and sold it to Volkswagen in 1998.

History

The original Rolls-Royce Limited had been nationalised in 1971 due to the financial collapse of the company, caused in part by the development of the RB211 jet engine. In 1973, the British government sold the Rolls-Royce car business to allow nationalised parent Rolls-Royce (1971) Limited to concentrate on jet engine manufacture.

In 1980, Rolls-Royce Motors was acquired by Vickers.

Sale to Volkswagen

In 1998, Vickers plc decided to sell Rolls-Royce Motors. The leading contender seemed to be BMW, who already supplied internal combustion engines and other components for Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars. Their final offer of £340m was outbid by Volkswagen Group, who offered £430m.

As part of the deal, Volkswagen Group acquired the historic Crewe factory, plus the rights to the “Spirit of Ecstasy” mascot and the shape of the radiator grille. However, the Rolls-Royce brand name and logo were controlled by aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce plc, and not Rolls-Royce Motors. The aero-engine maker decided to license the Rolls-Royce name and logo to BMW and not to Volkswagen, largely because the aero-engine maker had recently shared joint business ventures with BMW. BMW paid £40m to license the Rolls-Royce name and “RR” logo, a deal that many commentators thought was a bargain for possibly the most valuable property in the deal. Volkswagen Group had the rights to the mascot and grille but lacked rights to the Rolls-Royce name in order to build the cars, likewise BMW had the name but lacked rights to the grille and mascot.

The situation was tilted in BMW’s favour, as they could withdraw their engine supply with just 12 months notice, which was insufficient time for VW to re-engineer the Rolls-Royce cars to use VW’s own engines. Volkswagen claimed that it only really wanted Bentley anyway as it was the higher volume brand, with Bentley models out-selling the equivalent Rolls Royce by around two to one.

Loss of Rolls-Royce marque

After negotiations, BMW and Volkswagen Group arrived at a solution. From 1998 to 2002, BMW would continue to supply engines for the cars and would allow Volkswagen use of the Rolls-Royce name and logo. On 1 January 2003, only BMW would be able to name cars “Rolls-Royce”, and Volkswagen Group’s former Rolls-Royce/Bentley division would build only cars called “Bentley”. The last Rolls-Royce from the Crewe factory, the Corniche, ceased production in 2002, at which time the Crewe factory became Bentley Motors Limited, and Rolls-Royce production was relocated to a new entity in Goodwood, England known as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

Despite losing control of the Rolls-Royce marque to BMW, however, the former Rolls-Royce/Bentley subsidiary retains historical Rolls-Royce car assets such as the Crewe factory and

L Series V8 engine.

Cars

1965–80 Silver Shadow—the first Rolls-Royce with a monocoque chassis; started with a 6.23 L V8 engine, later expanded to 6.75 L; shared its design with the

1970 Bentley T series 1 with chrome bumpers

 Bentley T-series

1992 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI Landaulette

1968–91 Phantom VI

Second-generation Rolls-Royce Corniche

1971–96 Corniche I-IV

1975–86 Camargue styled by Paolo Martin with a Pininfarina body

1980–98 Silver Spirit/Silver Spur—design shared with the Bentley Mulsanne

Bentley models were produced mostly in parallel with the above cars. The Bentley Continental coupés (produced in various forms from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s) did not have Rolls-Royce equivalents. Very expensive Rolls-Royce Phantom limousines were also produced.

Volkswagen Group era

1999 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph

1998–2002 Silver Seraph—This shared its design with the

 

Bentley Arnage, which sold in much greater numbers.

2000–02 Corniche V—This two-door convertible shared its design with the

Bentley Azure and was the most expensive Rolls-Royce until the introduction of the 2003 Phantom.

Bentley

For other uses, see Bentley (disambiguation).

Bentley Motors Limited

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Engineering Manufacturing Distribution
Fate	Acquired by Rolls-Royce Limited (1931) Acquired by Vickers plc (1980) Acquired by Volkswagen Group (1998)
Founded	18 January 1919; 98 years ago
Founder	H. M. Bentley W. O. Bentley
Headquarters	Crewe, England, United Kingdom
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Wolfgang Dürheimer Chairman, CEO John Paul Gregory (Head of Exterior Design) Darren Day (Head of Interior Design)
Products	Continental Flying Spur Continental GT Bentayga Mulsanne
Production output	9,107 vehicles (2012) 7,593 vehicles (2011)
Services	Automobile customisation
Revenue	€1,453 million (2012) €1,119 million (2011)
Profit	€8 million (2011) −€245 million (2010)
Number of employees	3,600 (2013)
Parent	Volkswagen Group
Website	bentleymotors.com
Footnotes / references

 Bentley winged “B” badge bonnet (hood) ornament

Bentley Motors Limited (/ˈbɛntli/) is a British manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs—and a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG since 1998.

Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley in 1919 in Cricklewood, North London—and became widely known for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, and 2003.

Prominent models extend from the

historic sports-racing Bentley 4½ Litre and

1930 Bentley Speed Six; the more recent

1953 Bentley R Type Continental,

Bentley Turbo R, and

2001 Bentley Arnage Red Label

Bentley Arnage; to its current model line—including the

2012 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed

Continental Flying Spur,

2012 Bentley Continental GT (II)

Continental GT,

2016 Bentley Bentayga and the

2010 Bentley Mulsanne

Mulsanne—which are marketed worldwide, with China as its largest market as of November 2012.

Today most Bentleys are assembled at the company’s Crewe factory, with a small number assembled at Volkswagen’s Dresden factory, Germany, and with bodies for the Continental manufactured in Zwickau and for the Bentayga manufactured at the Volkswagen Bratislava Plant.

The joining and eventual separation of Bentley and Rolls-Royce followed a series of mergers and acquisitions, beginning with the 1931 purchase by Rolls-Royce of Bentley, then in receivership. In 1971, Rolls-Royce itself was forced into receivership and the UK government nationalised the company—splitting into two companies the aerospace division (Rolls-Royce Plc) and automotive (Rolls-Royce Motors Limited) divisions—the latter retaining the Bentley subdivision. Rolls-Royce Motors was subsequently sold to engineering conglomerate, Vickers and in 1998, Vickers sold Rolls-Royce to Volkswagen AG.

Intellectual property rights to both the name Rolls-Royce as well as the company’s logo had been retained not by Rolls-Royce Motors, but by aerospace company, Rolls-Royce Plc, which had continued to license both to the automotive division. Thus the sale of “Rolls-Royce” to VW included the Bentley name and logos, vehicle designs, model nameplates, production and administrative facilities, the Spirit of Ecstasy and Rolls-Royce grille shape trademarks (subsequently sold to BMW by VW)—but not the rights to the Rolls-Royce name or logo. The aerospace company, Rolls-Royce Plc, ultimately sold both to BMW AG.

Cricklewood

Before World War I, Walter Owen Bentley and his brother, Horace Millner Bentley, sold French DFP cars in Cricklewood, North London, but W.O, as Walter was known, always wanted to design and build his own cars. At the DFP factory, in 1913, he noticed an aluminium paperweight and thought that aluminium might be a suitable replacement for cast iron to fabricate lighter pistons. The first Bentley aluminium pistons were fitted to Sopwith Camel aero engines during World War I.

In August 1919, W.O. registered Bentley Motors Ltd. and in October he exhibited a car chassis, with dummy engine, at the London Motor Show. Ex–Royal Flying Corps officer Clive Gallop designed an innovative four valves per cylinder engine for the chassis. By December the engine was built and running. Delivery of the first cars was scheduled for June 1920, but development took longer than estimated so the date was extended to September 1921. The durability of the first Bentley cars earned widespread acclaim and they competed in hill climbs and raced at Brooklands.

Bentley’s first major event was the 1922 Indianapolis 500, a race dominated by specialized cars with Duesenberg racing chassis. They entered a modified road car driven by works driver, Douglas Hawkes, accompanied by riding mechanic, H. S. “Bertie” Browning. Hawkes completed the full 500 miles and finished 13th with an average speed of 74.95 mph after starting in 19th position. The team was then rushed back to England to compete in the 1922 RAC Tourist Trophy.

Captain Woolf Barnato

In an ironic reference to his heavyweight boxer‘s stature, Captain Woolf Barnato was nicknamed “Babe“. In 1925, he acquired his first Bentley, a 3-litre. With this car he won numerous Brooklands races. Just a year later he acquired the Bentley business itself.

The Bentley enterprise was always underfunded, but inspired by the 1924 Le Mans win by John Duff and Frank Clement, Barnato agreed to finance Bentley’s business. Barnato had incorporated Baromans Ltd in 1922, which existed as his finance and investment vehicle. Via Baromans, Barnato initially invested in excess of £100,000, saving the business and its workforce. A financial reorganisation of the original Bentley company was carried out and all existing creditors paid off for £75,000. Existing shares were devalued from £1 each to just 1 shilling, or 5% or their original value. Barnato held 149,500 of the new shares giving him control of the company and he became chairman. Barnato injected further cash into the business: £35,000 secured by debenture in July 1927; £40,000 in 1928; £25,000 in 1929. With renewed financial input, W. O. Bentley was able to design another generation of cars.

The Bentley Boys

Main articles: Bentley Boys and Blue Train Races

 1929 Blower Bentley

The Bentley Boys were a group of British motoring enthusiasts that included Barnato, Sir Henry “Tim” Birkin, steeple chaser George Duller, aviator Glen Kidston, automotive journalist S.C.H. “Sammy” Davis, and Dudley Benjafield. The Bentley Boys favoured Bentley cars. Many were independently wealthy and many had a military background. They kept the marque’s reputation for high performance alive; Bentley was noted for its four consecutive victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, from 1927 to 1930.

In 1929, Birkin developed the 4½-litre, lightweight Blower Bentley at Welwyn Garden City and produced five racing specials, starting with Bentley Blower No.1 which was optimised for the Brooklands racing circuit. Birkin overruled Bentley and put the model on the market before it was fully developed. As a result, it was unreliable.

In March 1930, during the Blue Train Races, Barnato raised the stakes on Rover and its Rover Light Six, having raced and beaten Le Train Bleu for the first time, to better that record with his 6½-litre Bentley Speed Six on a bet of £100. He drove against the train from Cannes to Calais, then by ferry to Dover, and finally London, travelling on public highways, and won.

Barnato drove his H.J. Mulliner–bodied formal saloon in the race against the Blue Train. Two months later, on 21 May 1930, he took delivery of a Speed Six with streamlined fastback “sportsman coupé” by Gurney Nutting. Both cars became known as the “Blue Train Bentleys“; the latter is regularly mistaken for, or erroneously referred to as being, the car that raced the Blue Train, while in fact Barnato named it in memory of his race. A painting by Terence Cuneo depicts the Gurney Nutting coupé racing along a road parallel to the Blue Train, which scenario never occurred as the road and railway did not follow the same route.

Cricklewood Bentleys

 

Bentley 8 Litre 4-door sports saloon

1924 Bentley 3-litre Sports Tourer by Park Ward 1921–1929 3-litre

1926–1930 4½-litre & “Blower Bentley”

1930 Bentley Speed Six tourer with original body by coachbuilder Hooper 1926–1930 6½-litre

1930 Speed Six Mulliner drophead coupé 1930 1928–1930 6½-litre Speed Six

1930 Bentley 8 Litre limousine by Mulliner 1930–1931 8-litre

1931 Bentley 4 Litre Supercharged Blower Two Seater Sports Vanden Plas 1931 4-litre

The original model was the three-litre, but as customers put heavier bodies on the chassis, a larger 4½-litre model followed. Perhaps the most iconic model of the period is the 4½-litre “Blower Bentley”, with its distinctive supercharger projecting forward from the bottom of the grille. Uncharacteristically fragile for a Bentley it was not the racing workhorse the 6½-litre was, though in 1930 Birkin remarkably finished second in the French Grand Prix at Pau in a stripped-down racing version of the Blower Bentley, behind Philippe Etancelin in

a Bugatti Type 35.

The 4½-litre model later became famous in popular media as the vehicle of choice of James Bond in the original novels, but this has been seen only briefly in the films. John Steed in the television series The Avengers also drove a Bentley.

The new eight-litre was such a success that when Barnato’s money seemed to run out in 1931 and Napier was planning to buy Bentley’s business, Rolls-Royce purchased Bentley Motors to prevent it from competing with their most expensive model, the Phantom II.

Performance at Le Mans

 Bentley Speed Six

24 hours of Le Mans Grand Prix d’Endurance

• 1923 4th (private entry) (3-Litre)
• 1924 1st (3-Litre)
• 1925 did not finish
• 1926 did not finish
• 1927 1st 15th 17th (3-Litre)
• 1928 1st 5th (4½-litre)
• 1929 1st (Speed Six); 2nd 3rd 4th: (4½-litre)
• 1930 1st 2nd (Speed Six)

Bentley withdrew from motor racing just after winning at Le Mans in 1930, claiming that they had learned enough about speed and reliability.

Liquidation

The Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the resulting Great Depression throttled the demand for Bentley’s expensive motor cars. In July 1931, two mortgage payments were due which neither the company nor Barnato, the guarantor, were able to meet. On 10 July 1931 a receiver was appointed.

Napier offered to buy Bentley with the purchase to be final in November 1931. Instead, British Central Equitable Trust made a winning sealed bid of £125,000. British Central Equitable Trust later proved to be a front for Rolls-Royce Limited. Not even Bentley himself knew the identity of the purchaser until the deal was completed.

Barnato received £42,000 for his shares in Bentley Motors. In 1934 he was appointed to the board of the new Bentley Motors (1931) Ltd. In the same year Bentley confirmed that it would continue racing.

Derby and Rolls-Royce

 “The silent sports car”
1935 3½-litre cabriolet by unknown coachbuilder

Rolls-Royce took over the assets of Bentley Motors (1919) Ltd and formed a subsidiary, Bentley Motors (1931) Ltd. Rolls-Royce had acquired the Bentley showrooms in Cork Street, the service station at Kingsbury, the complex at Cricklewood and the services of Bentley himself. This last was disputed by Napier in court without success. Bentley had neglected to register their trademark so Rolls-Royce immediately did so. They also sold the Cricklewood factory in 1932. Production stopped for two years, before resuming at the Rolls-Royce works in Derby. Unhappy with his role at Rolls-Royce, when his contract expired at the end of April 1935 W. O. Bentley left to join Lagonda.

When the new Bentley 3½ litre appeared in 1933, it was a sporting variant of the Rolls-Royce 20/25, which disappointed some traditional customers yet was well received by many others. W. O. Bentley was reported as saying, “Taking all things into consideration, I would rather own this Bentley than any other car produced under that name”. Rolls-Royce’s advertisements for the  3 ¹⁄₂ Litre called it “the silent sports car”, a slogan Rolls-Royce continued to use for Bentley cars until the 1950s.

All Bentleys produced from 1931 to 2004 used inherited or shared Rolls-Royce chassis, and adapted Rolls-Royce engines, and are described by critics as badge-engineered Rolls-Royces.

Derby Bentleys

1935 Bentley 3½ sedan Park Ward body 1933–1937 3½-litre

1936 Bentley 4¼-litre 4-door sports saloon 1936–1939 4¼-litre

Bentley Mark V B-24-AW 1939–1941 Mark V

1939 Mark V

Crewe and Rolls-Royce

In preparation for war, Rolls-Royce and the British Government searched for a location for a shadow factory to ensure production of aero-engines. Crewe, with its excellent road and rail links, as well as being located in the northwest away from the aerial bombing starting in mainland Europe, was a logical choice. Crewe also had extensive open farming land. Construction of the factory started on a 60-acre area on the potato fields of Merrill’s Farm in July 1938, with the first Rolls-Royce Merlin aero-engine rolling off the production line five months later. 25,000 Merlin engines were produced and at its peak, in 1943 during World War II, the factory employed 10,000 people. With the war in Europe over and the general move towards the then new jet engines, Rolls-Royce concentrated its aero engine operations at Derby and moved motor car operations to Crewe.

Standard Steel saloons

Bentley Mark VI standard steel saloon, the first Bentley supplied by Rolls-Royce with a standard all-steel body.

Until some time after World War II, most high-end motorcar manufacturers like Bentley and Rolls-Royce did not supply complete cars. They sold rolling chassis, near-complete from the instrument panel forward. Each chassis was delivered to the coach builder of the buyer’s choice. The biggest specialist car dealerships had coachbuilders build standard designs for them which were held in stock awaiting potential buyers.

 The assembled pressings from Pressed Steel

To meet post-war demand, particularly UK Government pressure to export and earn overseas currency, Rolls-Royce developed an all steel body using pressings made by Pressed Steel to create a “standard” ready-to-drive complete saloon car. The first steel-bodied model produced was the Bentley Mark VI: these started to emerge from the newly reconfigured Crewe factory early in 1946. Some years later, initially only for export, the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn was introduced, a standard steel Bentley but with a Rolls-Royce radiator grille for a small extra charge, and this convention continued.

Chassis remained available to coachbuilders until the end of production of the Bentley S3, which was replaced for October 1965 by the chassis-less monocoque construction T series.

Bentley Continental

 Bentley Continental, fastback coupé body by H J Mulliner

The Continental fastback coupé was aimed at the UK market, most cars, 164 plus a prototype, being right-hand drive. The chassis was produced at the Crewe factory and shared many components with the standard R type. Other than the R-Type standard steel saloon, R-Type Continentals were delivered as rolling chassis to the coachbuilder of choice. Coachwork for most of these cars was completed by H. J. Mulliner & Co. who mainly built them in fastback coupe form. Other coachwork came from Park Ward (London) who built six, later including a drophead coupe version. Franay (Paris) built five, Graber (Wichtrach, Switzerland) built three, one of them later altered by Köng (Basel, Switzerland), and Pininfarina made one. James Young (London) built in 1954 a Sports Saloon for the owner of James Young’s, James Barclay.

The early R Type Continental has essentially the same engine as the standard R Type, but with modified carburation, induction and exhaust manifolds along with higher gear ratios. After July 1954 the car was fitted with an engine, having now a larger bore of 94.62 mm (3.7 in) with a total displacement of 4,887 cc (4.9 L; 298.2 cu in). The compression ratio was raised to 7.25:1.

Crewe Rolls-Royce Bentleys

• Bentleys made by Rolls-Royce Ltd. in Crewe
• 

  “The silent sports car”
  1952 4¼-litre 2-door by H J Mulliner

• 

  Bentley S-series Standard Saloon

• 

  Bentley T-series Standard Saloon (l.w.b.)

  Standard-steel saloon

• 1947 Bentley Mark VI early production (DVLA) first registered 28 October 1947, 4257ccBentley Mark VI early production (DVLA) first registered 28 October 1947, 4257cc
•  1946–52 Mark VI
• 1953 Bentley Mark VII R-Type standard steel saloon 1952–55 R Type Continental
• 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental HJ Mulliner Sports Saloon – chassis BC2LC 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental HJ Mulliner Sports Saloon – chassis BC2LC 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental HJ Mulliner Sports Saloon – chassis BC2LC 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental HJ Mulliner Sports Saloon – chassis BC2LC 
•  1952–55 R Type Continental
• S-series
•  Bentley S1 1955–59 S1 and
• 1957 Bentley S1 Continental, #BC27CH, Park Ward coupé (DVL) first registered 18 June 1957, 4887cc Continental
• 
  Bentley S2
• 
  
• Bentley Continental S2
•  1959–62 S2 and Continental
• Bentley S3
• 
• Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur by HJ Mulliner 1962–65 S3 and Continental
• T-series
• 
• 1967 Bentley T1 Coupé 1965–77 T1
• 
•  1977 Bentley T2 1977–80 T2
• 1971–84 Corniche
• 1975–86 Camargue

Crewe and Vickers

 The Bentley logo on a 1998 White Bentley Arnage

The problems of Bentley’s owner with Rolls-Royce aero engine development, the RB211, brought about the financial collapse of its business in 1970.

The motorcar division was made a separate business, Rolls-Royce Motors Limited, which remained independent until bought by Vickers plc in August 1980. By the 1970s and early 1980s Bentley sales had fallen badly; at one point less than 5% of combined production carried the Bentley badge. Under Vickers, Bentley set about regaining its high-performance heritage, typified by the 1980 Mulsanne. Bentley’s restored sporting image created a renewed interest in the name and Bentley sales as a proportion of output began to rise. By 1986 the Bentley: Rolls-Royce ratio had reached 40:60; by 1991 it achieved parity.

Crewe Vickers Bentleys

 1984 Bentley Mulsanne Turbo

Bentley Brooklands

1984–95 Continental: convertible

1992–95 Continental Turbo

1980–92 Bentley Mulsanne

1986 Bentley Mulsanne L Limousine 1984–88 Mulsanne L: limousine

1984 Bentley Mulsanne Turbo

1982–85 Mulsanne Turbo

1987-92 Bentley Mulsanne S BRG 1987–92 Mulsanne S

1989 Bentley Eight front left 1984–92 Eight: basic model

1985–95 Turbo R: turbocharged performance version

1998 Bentley Continental R 1991–2002 Continental R: turbocharged 2-door model

Bentley Continental S (1994-95)

1994–95 Continental S: intercooled

Bentley Continental T 1996–2002 Continental T

2001 Bentley Continental R Mulliner 1999–2003 Continental R Mulliner: performance model

1992–98 Brooklands: improved Eight

1998 Bentley-Brooklands-R-Mulliner-Car-12-of-100-WCH66811-3 1996–98 Brooklands R: performance Brooklands

1995 Bentley Turbo-S-Car-10-of-75-SCH56810-3  1994–95 Turbo S: limited-edition sports model

1994–95 Continental S: to order only version of Continental R with features of Turbo S incorporated

1995–97 New Turbo R: updated 96MY Turbo R with revised bumpers, single front door glazing, new door mirrors, spare in trunk, engine cover, new seat design, auto lights, auto wipers etc.

 Bentley Azure Mark I

1995–2003 Azure: convertible Continental R

1996–2002 Continental T: short-wheelbase performance model

1997 Bentley Turbo RL P LWB

1997–98 Turbo RL: “new” Turbo R LWB (Long Wheel Base)

1997 Bentley Turbo RT Photographed in Norwich, England

1997–98 Bentley Turbo RT: replacement for the Turbo RL

 1998 Bentley Turbo RT Mulliner

1997–98 RT Mulliner: Ultra exclusive performance model

Volkswagen AG vs. BMW AG

In October 1997, Vickers announced that it had decided to sell Rolls-Royce Motors. BMW AG seemed to be a logical purchaser because BMW already supplied engines and other components for Bentley and Rolls-Royce branded cars and because of BMW and Vickers joint efforts in building aircraft engines. BMW made a final offer of £340m, but was outbid by Volkswagen AG, which offered £430m. Volkswagen AG acquired the vehicle designs, model nameplates, production and administrative facilities, the Spirit of Ecstasy and Rolls-Royce grille shape trademarks, but not the rights to the use of the Rolls-Royce name or logo, which are owned by Rolls-Royce Holdings plc. In 1998, BMW started supplying components for the new range of Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars—notably V8 engines for the Bentley Arnage and V12 engines for the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph, however, the supply contract allowed BMW to terminate its supply deal with Rolls-Royce with 12 months’ notice, which would not be enough time for Volkswagen to re-engineer the cars.

 Bentley Azure Mulliner 2003 Final Series

BMW paid Rolls-Royce plc £40m to license the Rolls-Royce name and logo. After negotiations, BMW and Volkswagen AG agreed that, from 1998 to 2002, BMW would continue to supply engines and components and would allow Volkswagen temporary use of the Rolls-Royce name and logo. All BMW engine supply ended in 2003 with the end of Silver Seraph production.

From 1 January 2003 forward, Volkswagen AG would be the sole provider of cars with the “Bentley” marque. BMW established a new legal entity, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited, and built a new administrative headquarters and production facility for Rolls-Royce branded vehicles in Goodwood, West Sussex, England.

Modern Bentleys

SC06 Three Modern Bentleys

The Bentley line-up from late 2000s (from left): Flying Spur, Continental GT, and Arnage

 Queen Elizabeth II‘s Bentley State Limousine

After acquiring the business, Volkswagen spent GBP 500 million (about US$845 million) to modernise the Crewe factory and increase production capacity. As of early 2010, there are about 3,500 working at Crewe, compared with about 1,500 in 1998 before being taken over by Volkswagen. It was reported that Volkswagen invested a total of nearly US$2 billion in Bentley and its revival. As a result of upgrading facilities at Crewe the bodywork now arrives fully painted at the Crewe facility for final assembly, with the parts coming from Germany—similarly Rolls-Royce body shells are painted and shipped to the UK for assembly only.

In 2002, Bentley presented Queen Elizabeth II with an official State Limousine to celebrate her Golden Jubilee. In 2003, Bentley’s two-door convertible, the Bentley Azure, ceased production, and Bentley introduced a second line, Bentley Continental GT, a large luxury coupé powered by a W12 engine built in Crewe.

Demand had been so great that the factory at Crewe was unable to meet orders despite an installed capacity of approximately 9,500 vehicles per year; there was a waiting list of over a year for new cars to be delivered. Consequently, part of the production of the new Flying Spur, a four-door version of the Continental GT, was assigned to the Transparent Factory (Germany), where the Volkswagen Phaeton luxury car is also assembled. This arrangement ceased at the end of 2006 after around 1,000 cars, with all car production reverting to the Crewe plant.

In April 2005, Bentley confirmed plans to produce a four-seat convertible model—the Azure, derived from the Arnage Drophead Coupé prototype—at Crewe beginning in 2006. By the autumn of 2005, the convertible version of the successful Continental GT, the Continental GTC, was also presented. These two models were successfully launched in late 2006.

A limited run of a Zagato modified GT was also announced in March 2008, dubbed “GTZ“.

A new version of the Bentley Continental was introduced at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show: The Continental Supersports. This new Bentley is a supercar combining extreme power with environmentally friendly FlexFuel technology, capable of using petrol (gasoline) and biofuel (E85 ethanol).

Bentley sales continued to increase, and in 2005 8,627 were sold worldwide, 3,654 in the United States. In 2007, the 10,000 cars-per-year threshold was broken for the first time with sales of 10,014. For 2007, a record profit of €155 million was also announced. Bentley reported a sale of about 7,600 units in 2008. However, its global sales plunged 50 percent to 4,616 vehicles in 2009 (with the U.S. deliveries dropped 49% to 1,433 vehicles) and it suffered an operating loss of €194 million, compared with an operating profit of €10 million in 2008. As a result of the slump in sales, production at Crewe was shut down during March and April 2009. Though vehicle sales increased by 11% to 5,117 in 2010, operating loss grew by 26% to €245 million. In Autumn 2010, workers at Crewe staged a series of protests over proposal of compulsory work on Fridays and mandatory overtime during the week.

Vehicle sales in 2011 rose 37% to 7,003 vehicles, with the new Continental GT accounting for over one-third of total sales. The current workforce is about 4,000 people.

The business earned a profit in 2011 after two years of losses as a result of the following sales results:

1998

2005

2011

Unsold cars: During the years 2011 and 2012 production exceeded deliveries by 1,187 cars which is estimated to have trebled inventory.

Car models, Crewe Volkswagen

Car models in production

2010–present: Mulsanne

2011–present: Continental GT (Gen 2)

2011–present: Continental GT Convertible (Gen 2)

2013–present: Flying Spur

2016–present: Bentayga

2018–????: Continental GT (Gen 3)

Former car models in production

1992-2011: Bentley Brooklands

1998-2003: Arnage

1995-2009: Azure

2003-2011: Continental GT

2005-2012: Continental Flying Spur

2006-2011: Continental GTC

2009-2009: Continental Supersports

2009-2009: Bentley Zagato GTZ

Former special edition car models in production

1999: Hunaudieres Concept

2002: State Limousine

My complete collection off pictures all from the World Wide Web:

This Bentley poster celebrates the mighty Bentley Speed sixes of the late 1920’s when the ‘Bentley Boys’ dominated endurance motor sport. In the Le Mans 24 hour race in 1930 they took first and second place, the winning car being driven by millionaire Captain Woolf Barnato with co-driver, the ‘born adventurer’ Glen Kidston, but sadly this was to be the company’s last year of racing. Financial problems prevented Bentley from competing in 1931 and after Rolls Royce purchased the remains of the company, the racing program was scrapped. Barnato retired from motor racing that year and Kidston, in 1931, died when his De Havilland Moth biplane broke up over Africa.

Bentley Barker 1935

Rolls-Royce 25/30 1936 Hearse. Converted in 1958 to a Hearse by Alpe and Saunders

http://www.autogaleria.hu –

Generated by Carsales Image Server on 07:43.44 17/08/2016

1991 Rolls Royce silver-black custom who knows

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Rolls-Royce Art Deco Ghost Extended Wheelbase Revealed

Bentley Hybrid Concept

The logo of a Bentley car is pictured during a press presentation prior to the Essen Motor Show in Essen November 30, 2012. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender

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A logo of Rolls Royce is pictured on a car in Munich, May 16, 2012. REUTERS/Guido Krzikowski

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DCF 1.0

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SONY DSC

SONY DSC

Rolls-Royce Motorcars of Long Island Great Gatsby Party

The Rolls-Royce logo is seen on a wheel at the Rolls-Royce plant where the Phantom and Ghost models are manufactured in Goodwood near Chichester in south England May 10, 2011. REUTERS/Toby Melville

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Motorsport

A Bentley Continental GT3 entered by the M-Sport factory team won the Silverstone round of the 2014 Blancpain Endurance Series. This was Bentley’s first official entry in a British race since the 1930 RAC Tourist Trophy.

References

1. Jump up^ Volkswagen AG 2012, p. 68.
2. Jump up^ Volkswagen AG 2012, p. 49.
3. Jump up^ “Bentley Motors Website: World of Bentley: Our Story: News: 2014: Wolfgang Dürheimer to become Bentley CEO”. Bentleymotors.com. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
4. Jump up^ https://www.bentleymedia.com/en/newsitem/654
5. Jump up^ http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/the-new-bentley-continental-gt-darren-day-head-of-interior-design-bentley-motors/vp-AAs6XKD
6. Jump up^ Volkswagen AG 2012, p. 102.
7. ^ Jump up to:^a b Volkswagen AG 2012a, p. 120.
8. Jump up^ “vwagfy2012”.
9. Jump up^ Volkswagen AG 2012a, p. 121.
10. Jump up^ Armistead, Louise (9 October 2013). “Video: behind the scenes at the Bentley factory”. The Daily Telegraph. London.
11. Jump up^ Volkswagen AG 2012, p. 19.
12. Jump up^ “Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft Facts and Figures 2012” (PDF). volkswagenag.com. Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft. 11 June 2012. 1058.809.453.20. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
13. Jump up^ “Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft Annual Report 2011” (PDF). volkswagenag.com. Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft. 12 March 2012. 258.809.536.00. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
14. Jump up^ Armitstead, Louise (6 October 2013). “Monday Interview: Bentley boss on what’s driving demand for luxury British cars”. London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
15. Jump up^ Einhorn, Bruce (5 April 2012). “The Surge in China’s Auto Sales May Soon Slow”. Bloomberg Businessweek.
16. Jump up^ “BENTLEY: MADE IN GERMANY”. PistonHeads. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
17. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f} Georgano, Nick, ed. (1 October 2000). Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile (Hardcover, Reprint ed.). Oxford, United Kingdom: Routledge. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
18. Jump up^ “Bentley’s racing heritage”. The Telegraph. 5 October 2016.
19. ^ Jump up to:^a b Wagstaff, Ian (September 2010). “3: The Not-So-Roaring Twenties”. The British at Indianapolis=. Dorchester, UK: Veloce Publishing. pp. .26–27. ISBN 978-1-84584-246-8. Retrieved 11 October 2013. It was an event that was to prove a costly exercise for the Cricklewood-based company in sending both a professional driver and a mechanic with the car.
20. Jump up^ Davidson, Donald; Schaffer, Rick (2006). “Official Box Scores 1911–2006”. Autocourse Official History of the Indianapolis 500. St. Paul, MN USA: MBI Publishing. p. 327. ISBN 1-905334-20-6. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
21. Jump up^ Davidson, Donald, Schaffer, Rick, Autocourse Official History of the Indianapolis 500, page 60
22. Jump up^ Melissen, Wouter (12 January 2004). “Bentley Speed Six ‘Blue Train Special'”. UltimateCarPage. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
23. Jump up^ Burgess-Wise, David (1 January 2006). “The Slippery Shape of Power”. Auto Aficionado. Archived from the original on 24 March 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
24. Jump up^ “Bentley Motors To Give Up Racing”. Evening Telegraph. Angus, Scotland: British Newspaper Archive. 1 July 1930. Retrieved 23 July 2014. (Subscription required (help)).
25. Jump up^ “Receiver Appointed Of Bentley Motors Limited Re Bentley Motors Limited; London Life Association Limited v. Bentley Motors Limited, And Woolf Barnato”. The Times, Saturday, 11 July 1931; p. 4; Issue 45872
26. Jump up^ Feast, Richard (2004). “When Barnato bought Bentley”. The DNA of Bentley. St. Paul, MN: MotorBooks International. pp. 64–65. ISBN 978-0-7603-1946-8. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
27. Jump up^ Finley, Ross (29 November 1985). “Luxury of the long-distance cruiser”. Glasgow Herald. p. 21. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
28. Jump up^ Feast, Richard, The DNA of Bentley, Chapter 5: “Togetherness: Rolls-Royce/Bentley”, p. 77
29. Jump up^ Stein, Ralph (1952). Sports Cars of the World. Scribner. p. 43. Retrieved 29 September 2013. These, known as “the silent sports car,” have been successfully marketed for almost twenty years now in various models.
30. Jump up^ Sewell, Brian (13 July 2004). “New Bentley is a drive in the wrong direction”. The Independent. London. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
31. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d Crewe’s Rolls-Royce Factory From Old Photographs by Peter Ollerhead and Tony Flood, republished electronically 2013 by Amberley Publishing of Stroud, Gloucestershire, England
32. Jump up^ Pugh 2000, pp. 192-198.
33. Jump up^ “Bentley Crewe History 1914 – 2006”. Jack Barclay. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
34. Jump up^ Ollerhead, P. (2013). Crewe’s Rolls-Royce Factory From Old Photographs. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445627649. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
35. Jump up^ “Used Car test: Bentley Continental”. Autocar. 130 (3824): 47–48. 29 May 1969.
36. ^ Jump up to:^a b Cremer, Andreas (24 June 2010). “Volkswagen Said to Shuffle Porsche, Bentley Managers”. BusinessWeek. Retrieved 25 June2010.
37. Jump up^ Gillies, Mark (10 May 2010). “Going Back in Time at the Bentley Factory”. Car and Driver blog. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
38. Jump up^ Edmondson, Gail (6 December 2004). “VW Steals A Lead In Luxury”. BusinessWeek. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
39. Jump up^ Garlick. “Bentley reports record profit”. Retrieved 18 March2008.
40. Jump up^ Reiter, Chris; Ramsey, Mike (15 December 2009). “Daimler Maybach Fails to Dent Rolls, Bentley Super-Luxury Lead”. Bloomberg.
41. Jump up^ Cremer, Andreas (14 January 2010). “Volkswagen’s Bentley Targets U.S. Growth With Mulsanne Sedan”. BusinessWeek. Retrieved 25 June 2010.^{[dead link]}
42. Jump up^ Massey, Ray (23 January 2009). “Bentley announces seven-week production shutdown while Jaguar chief calls for Government aid”. Daily Mail. London.
43. Jump up^ “Volkswagen AG 2010 Annual Report”. Annualreport2010.volkswagenag.com. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
44. Jump up^ Cooke, Rhiannon (24 October 2010). “Bentley protests continue in Crewe over changes to working hours”. Crewe Chronicle.
45. Jump up^ Rauwald, Christopher (4 January 2012). “Bentley Mulls Its Own SV”. The Wall Street Journal. p. B3.
46. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Volkswagen AG 2012 Annual Report”. Annualreport2012.volkswagenag.com. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
47. Jump up^ Ramsey, Jonathon (2009). “First Bentley Zagato GTZ available at $1.7M”. autoblog.com. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
48. Jump up^ Burt, Matt (25 May 2014). “New Bentley Continental GT3 claims inaugural victory at Silverstone”. Autocar. Haymarket Group. Retrieved 26 May 2014.

See also

Bentley

Rolls-Royce Limited

Luxury vehicle

Brewster

Further reading

Richard Feast, Kidnap of the Flying Lady: How Germany Captured Both Rolls Royce and Bentley, Motorbooks, ISBN0-7603-1686-4

External links

Rolls-Royce vehicles.

Video (RT 05:02) Showcasing 1988 Silver Spur.