Welcome to the Bentley Drivers Club website

Dear Visitor                                                                 

On this website we have tried to present as comprehensive a background to both the Bentley marque and the Club as possible, and we hope you find what you are looking for. The object of the site is to serve the requirements of existing Members, and to foster and encourage an interest in one of the most historic and iconic marques ever created amongst a wider audience. The Club welcomes new Members, whether they already own a Bentley, whether they anticipate owning a Bentley in the future, or whether they are just enthusiastic fans of these fabulous motor cars. The Club is also truly international, and we welcome Members equally, wherever they may live.

The Bentley Motor Car

When WO Bentley first conceived of a fast, sporting tourer of his own, little could he have imagined the impact his creation would have on those motorists lucky enough to have experienced the pleasures of driving one, and those of an even greater number who would dearly love the chance.

The History of Bentley is one that has inspired thousands, and the achievements of these great cars have set standards that few others have reached. That almost 50% of the original examples built at the first factory in Cricklewood survive and are enjoyed regularly by their owners is a testimony to their worth. It is almost impossible for us born long after their introduction to understand the impact of a handsome, reliable motor car that could cruise at speeds of 60mph or more, and that later models possessed a top speed of over 100mph, only a few years after the First World War had come to an end. The development of the average family saloon took about 50 years to catch up in performance terms, and motoring enthusiasts to this day get excited about such features as overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, and twin spark ignition - all contained in the design of the very first Bentley engine - the 3 litre! Few contemporaries could match their combination of performance and reliability, hence their overwhelming success in the toughest endurance competition of that era, the Le Mans 24 Hour Race.

It is with this in mind that one can understand how the Bentley Drivers Club came to be born, and prosper, to the point where its influence on keeping the marque 'alive' in the minds of the motoring public during its, arguably, darkest period of the 1970's, was of paramount importance. The Club has been, and still is, the true keeper of the heritage of these magnificent motor cars, and the memory of their creator, Walter Owen Bentley.