The extraordinary life of W.O. Bentley

While still working for the railway, W.O. bought himself a Quadrant motorcycle and, along with two of his brothers, threw himself enthusiastically into racing, practising on the roads early in the morning when police speed traps weren’t operating. In 1907, he took part in the London-Edinburgh trial and, although he broke down just outside Edinburgh, managed to repair the bike and finish in time to qualify for a gold medal. Further golds followed in the London-Plymouth and London-Land’s End trials in 1908. As his love of racing grew, W.O. became more and more skilled at refining engine performance, with his modifications to a Speed model Rex so successful they were taken up by the official Rex team.

W.O.’s engineering skills became even more pivotal when he went into business with one of his brothers in 1912, importing French cars made by Doriot, Flandrin & Parant. On a visit to their offices in France the next year, W.O. discovered a paperweight made of aluminium, and wondered whether this lightweight material would make a better piston than steel or cast iron. To add strength and stop it from melting at high temperatures, he experimented with creating a new alloy at a foundry, finally settling on a formula of 88% aluminium and 12% copper. His curiosity paid off; adding the new pistons to DFP cars took him to victory at Brooklands and enabled him to set a new 89.7 mph record for a flying mile. And his important discovery was to prove crucial to his success in the years to come.

When the First World War broke out, W.O. put his ambition to start a car company on hold and instead used his secret advantage to help his country. As a captain in the Royal Naval Air Service, he used his aluminium pistons to create an engine for fighter aircraft that was significantly more powerful and reliable than previous versions, which had been prone to overheating and seizing up in combat. The first Bentley Rotary engine, the BR.1, made the Sopwith Camel the most successful British fighter aircraft of the war. W.O. went on to develop the BR.2, and visited active squadrons while supervising its production. At one aerodrome, as he later recalled, “every gun in Flanders seemed to open up on us” during a strafing attack by Manfred von Richtofen, otherwise known as the Red Baron. Thankfully for the future of motoring, W.O. and the officer accompanying him survived by jumping into a canal.

While W.O. was developing the very first Bentley, The Autocar magazine reported that he was working on a model “intended to appeal to those enthusiastic motorists who desire a car which, practically speaking, is a true racing car with touring accessories” – an aim that is still part of Bentley’s DNA today. After the success of the 3 Litre, his six-cylinder 6 ½ Litre engine was launched in 1926, originally as the Big Six and two years later as the Speed Six. In 1928, he created the four-cylinder 4 ½ Litre, and in 1930 the six-cylinder 8 Litre. These were road cars first and foremost – but they had the power and endurance to achieve incredible results in competition.

W.O. was initially opposed to racing at Le Mans – the event so closely intertwined with the company’s fortunes. “I think the whole thing is crazy,” he said. “Cars aren’t designed to stand that sort of strain for twenty-four hours.” But after seeing Frank Clement and John Duff finish fourth in 1923, setting the fastest lap in a Bentley 3 Litre, he overcame his reservations. Bentley soon came to dominate the 24-hour race, taking an astonishing five wins in seven years – and generating a wealth of front-page headlines.

The 8-Litre was W.O.’s final creation, and is widely considered to be his masterpiece. Such was the power and torque of the straight-six engine, the company proclaimed that the 8 Litre would be more than capable of 100 mph, regardless of the type of body the owner had chosen. W.O. said “I have always wanted to produce a dead silent 100 mph car, and now I think that we have done it.” This verdict was echoed by Captain W. Gordon Aston, reviewing the 8-Litre for The Tatler, who said: “Never in my life have I known a vehicle in which such a prodigious performance was linked to such smooth unobtrusive quietness.”

With the Wall Street Crash occurring shortly before the launch of the 8 Litre, only 100 were ever made. As Bentley continues to make cars that combine exhilarating performance with exquisite craftsmanship, W.O.’s car is proudly displayed at the factory in Crewe. Whenever a new Chief Executive Officer is appointed, they are handed the key on their very first day – a fitting tribute to the man who started it all.