A Pride Of Bentleys

There are motor cars, there are expensive motor cars, and then there are Bentleys, magnificent rolling declarations that the owner has not merely acquired wealth but would quite like everyone else to become aware of the fact without the vulgar necessity of mentioning it. A Bentley was never simply a means of getting from one place to another. It was a means of arriving, preferably outside a country house, with enough mechanical authority to suggest that the building might actually belong to you.

In A Pride of Bentleys (1978), John Adams and Ray Roberts celebrate one of Britain’s most distinguished motoring marques, exploring the engineering, elegance and extraordinary character of cars that became synonymous with performance, prestige and the sort of financial circumstances in which petrol consumption was considered a matter for the chauffeur.

Published by Chartwell Books, this handsome volume recalls the remarkable Bentley tradition, beginning with the pioneering spirit of W. O. Bentley and the legendary machines that established the company’s reputation. The great sporting Bentleys of the 1920s were not delicate little sports cars designed for leisurely Sunday outings. They were enormous, thunderous creations built to travel very quickly over considerable distances, preferably while defeating the French at Le Mans.

The famous Bentley Boys helped turn the marque into a symbol of British sporting extravagance, demonstrating that considerable wealth, engineering enthusiasm and a magnificent disregard for mechanical restraint could occasionally produce something genuinely worthwhile. Their exploits belonged to an age when motor racing involved leather helmets, tremendous moustaches and the distinct possibility of ending the afternoon in a ditch.

Over the decades, Bentley evolved from a manufacturer of formidable sporting machines into a byword for luxurious high-performance motoring. The cars became more refined, the interiors more sumptuous and the clientele increasingly unlikely to undertake their own oil changes. Nevertheless, the combination of craftsmanship, power and understated magnificence remained central to the Bentley identity.

Adams and Roberts provide an affectionate tribute to this remarkable automotive heritage, making the book an appealing addition to the collection of anyone interested in classic British engineering, prestigious marques or the fascinating history of people who regarded an ordinary motor car as an unfortunate compromise.

Condition: Good. This is a previously owned copy from 1978, showing the general signs of age and handling appropriate to a book approaching its half-century. It has enjoyed a considerably more economical existence than the vehicles featured within its pages, requiring neither premium petrol nor an appropriately expensive garage.

Published by Chartwell Books in 1978. ISBN: 0890092281.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where our stock may lack the polished walnut, Connolly leather and aristocratic associations of a vintage Bentley, but fortunately comes with considerably more democratic pricing.

An excellent choice for Bentley enthusiasts, collectors of motoring literature and anyone who would enjoy owning something associated with one of the world’s most prestigious motor manufacturers without first having to consult their bank manager.

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