Bentley | Rolls-Royce
Bentley Motors Limited, a British luxury automaker, and smaller rival of Rolls Royce, was founded in January 1919. The Flying B mascot was added in in 1920. Bentley cars were largely hand-built and had a reputation for high performance. Bentley was noted for its four consecutive victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1927 to 1930.
Notable former production models include the Bentley 4½ Litre, Bentley Speed Six, and the Bentley R Type. Although a group of wealthy British motorists known as the “Bentley Boys” kept the marque’s reputation alive the company failed to weather the onset of the Great Depression and was acquired by Rolls-Royce in 1931.
Rolls-Royce’s advertisements for the 31⁄2 Litre Bentley called it “the silent sports car”, a slogan Rolls-Royce continued to use for Bentley cars until the 1950s.
Rolls-Royce Limited is a renowned English car-manufacturer founded in March 1906, with a reputation for superior engineering quality. The Silver Ghost, launched in 1907, was a car of legendary smoothness that completed a 14,371 mile run virtually non-stop, creating ‘the best car in the world’ legend.
Rolls-Royce manufactured the high-powered “R” engines responsible for land and air speed records as well as successful performances in automobile racing. From soon after World War II until 2002 standard Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars were often identical apart from the radiator grille and minor details.
The Rolls-Royce mascot “The Spirit of Ecstasy”, also called “Emily”, “Silver Lady” or “Flying Lady”, was designed by English sculptor Charles Robinson Sykes in 1911. Sykes called it “A graceful little goddess… who has selected road travel as her supreme delight…”. An alternate kneeling version was also designed by Sykes in 1934 to suit the needs of the new sports saloons by providing their drivers with a clearer view of the road ahead. This was ultimately abandoned in favor of a smaller version of the original standing mascot, and so it remains to this date.