This famed British car builder has been crafting — mostly by hand, mind you — powerful, slick-looking, luxurious automobiles for the very well-heeled since the early 1900s. Its first model, the rapid 3-Litre, debuted in 1919. Beset with financial troubles during the Great Depression, the Bentley name was sold to Rolls-Royce in 1931. In the decades that followed, Bentley vehicles became little more than rebadged Rolls-Royces, and the brand lost most its cachet. During the 1980s, the parent company called for more distinction between the two luxe nameplates, and after a few notable unveilings the Bentley name soon regained its haute stature. Today BMW runs the show, ending the 70-year partnership between Bentley and Rolls-Royce.
