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Bentley Continental has come a long way in 63 years

Ever wonder why Bentley calls its coupe the Continental? We'll give you a hint: it's not because it comes with orange juice and a breakfast roll. It's because the coupe was designed to traverse entire continents in speed and comfort. And it has been doing that for 63 years now. The fastest four-passenger vehicle of its day, the original Bentley R-Type Continental is considered to be the world's first grand tourer. The Continental was based on the R-Type saloon, retaining its 4.6-liter inline-six but replacing the four-door bodywork with an altogether more elegant, dynamic form. The two-door bodywork was crafted by H.J. Mulliner & Co, whose name still adorns Bentley's customization department, and whom parent Rolls-Royce favored over its usual Park Ward for its pioneering skills in lightweight construction. The result was a vehicle that could sweep along the highways constructed in post-war Europe with ease and grace at speeds up to 120 miles per hour. Of the 2,000+ R-Types that Bentley made in the early 1950s, only 208 were Continentals, making it one of the most sought-after Bentleys of all time – and one of the most beautiful. It's that spirit which the company aims to carry forth with its namesake, the latest Continental GT Speed, which stands as the fastest production model Bentley has ever offered. Of course it's not just on the road where Bentley forged its reputation, but on the racetrack as well. That history stretches back to the famous Birkin Blower that won at Le Mans in 1930 straight through to the Continental GT3 that scored podium finishes at Paul Ricard and the Nurburgring this year. Watch the video above and scroll through the galleries below to see Bentleys old and new come together and demonstrate the heritage that they're always crowing about in Crewe. BENTLEY CONTINENTAL: EVOLUTION OF AN ICON - New film features 16MY Continental GT Speed and R-Type Continental - Traces the DNA and design of the Continental from 1952 to present - 16MY GT Speed is the fastest production car ever made by Bentley (Crewe, 16 December 2015) The Bentley Continental GT is one of the most iconic cars on the road today. The Continental name first entered the company's lexicon in 1952 with the R-Type Continental – arguably the world's first Grand Tourer. With a top speed of 120 mph it was the fastest four-seater in the world at the time of its launch.

Bentley will build 1929 Team Blower continuation series of 12 cars

Bentley considers Sir Tim Birkin’s supercharged 4 1/2 -liter Team Blower race car to be the company's "most revered heritage car" ever. So revered, in fact, that Bentley wants to make the car again, 12 times over. With the help of some reverse engineering by Mulliner, Bentley has announced its intentions for an extremely special continuation series limited to only a dozen examples built nearly identical to the original.  Through various methods, Bentley has been celebrating its heritage all throughout 2019, the centenary of the brand's founding. Just in the summer months, Bentley released the third-gen Flying Spur, unveiled the EXP 100 GT autonomous electric concept, built a Continental GT convertible that honors the 1929 Blower Number 1, won Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours, and re-created 1939 Corniche sedan with the help of Mulliner. That last achievement is particularly relevant, as Mulliner typically crafts bespoke new cars, as opposed to building old ones. After successfully bringing the Corniche into the 21st century, however, Bentley is confident Mulliner can take on the complex task of rebuilding the legendary Team Blower.  Bentley claims this will be the world's first continuation of a pre-war race car, and the original production run didn't even make it to double digits. Only four Team Blowers were built for Birkin and the boys to race, which they did at Le Mans and all over Europe. Bentley is building 12 re-creations because that's how many races the original cars competed in. In order to take this project on, Bentley will disassemble Team Blower chassis No. HB 3404 down to its nuts and bolts. The parts will all be cataloged and 3D scanning of each individual piece will create the foundation for the new cars. Bentley will then combine use of the original 1920s molds and tooling jigs with modern manufacturing methods to create 12 identical sets of parts. The new cars will be as close to identical to the original car as possible, but current safety regulations will force Bentley to make a few changes and alterations. Under the hood, the Continuation Series cars will have 16-valve four-cylinder engines with aluminum crankcases, cast-iron cylinder liners, and non-detachable cast-iron cylinder heads. With the help of Amherst Villiers Mk IV roots-type supercharger replicas, the 4,398 cc engines will be rated at 240 bhp at 4,200 rpm.

1931 Bentley 8 Litre is the 2019 Pebble Beach Concours Best of Show

A 1931 Bentley 8 Litre Gurney Nutting Sports Tourer took home the title of Best of Show at the 69th running of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It's probably the only time the owners will be okay with a bunch of tiny pieces of paper raining down on the immaculate open interior.  The 2019 Pebble Beach Concours took place on Sunday, August 18, 2019, and it capped a typical Monterey Car Week filled with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of automotive excellence. Some cars sold for eight digits, while others unexpectedly failed to meet reserve (even at eight digits).  The '31 Bentley had stiff competition for the top honor. The finalists for Best of Show included a 1938 Talbot-Lago T150C-SS Figoni & Falaschi Teardrop Cabriolet owned by Richard & Melanie Lundquist, a 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Erdmann & Rossi Special Cabriolet owned by The Keller Collection at the Pyramids, and a 1962 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato Coupe owned by David F. MacNeil.  The Bentley, which has custom coachwork from J. Gurney Nutting & Company Limited, is owned by The Honorable Sir Michael Kadoorie of Hong Kong. This is the first time a Bentley has won the Pebble Beach Best of Show since 1965, a fact that makes for a wild coincidence considering Bentley is celebrating its centenary this year, as well.  "The Centennial of Bentley may have played a role in this award, but the 8 Litre is the ultimate W. O. Bentley–era automobile," Kadoorie said, according to a press release. "This is the car that represents Bentley at its finest, and I have been very fortunate to have a car that has this elegance and finish, and that the Pebble Beach Concours feels is worthy." In other awards news, a 1938 Talbot-Lago T150C-SS Figoni & Falaschi Teardrop Cabriolet won Most Elegant Convertible, a 1950 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Ghia Supergioiello Coupe won Most Elegant Closed Car, a 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Brewster York Roadster won Most Elegant Open Car, and a 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Zagato Berlinetta Speciale won Most Elegant Sports Car. The Pebble Beach Concours live streamed a good portion of the sunny festivities, and we've included it below. Scroll to about the 3:27 mark to see the best-of-show presentation that capped off the day.