Bentley and Rolls-Royce enthusiasts from around the world will come together on 29 August at the British Motor Museum to celebrate 80 years of production at Bentley’s Crewe facility.
Members of The International Club for Rolls-Royce & Bentley Enthusiasts will bring cars spanning Bentley’s Crewe-built heritage from the 1946 Mark VI through to the latest Continental GT to the event. Bentley will also mark the production milestone at the event by unveiling a bespoke Continental GT Azure inspired by one of the earliest cars built at the site. The anniversary car will be displayed alongside a two-tone green and black 1950 Mulliner-bodied Mark VI, which forms an important part of Bentley’s Heritage Collection.
Created by Bentley’s Mulliner division, the Continental GT Azure draws directly on the two-tone colour scheme of the Mark VI. It features solid Barnato Green paintwork with a Mulliner Black roof, alongside black-painted and machined 22-inch wheels and carbon-fibre exterior detailing. The interior combines Cricket Ball and Beluga leather with diamond quilting, contrast stitching and embroidered Azure emblems. A dark-stained burr walnut and Grand Black piano veneer dashboard pays tribute to the walnut interior of the original Mark VI.
The anniversary also highlights the transformation of Bentley’s Pyms Lane site, which was originally constructed in 1938 to manufacture Rolls-Royce Merlin aero engines before becoming a car production facility in 1946.
The first car produced at Crewe was a Bentley Mark VI. Powered by a 4.25-litre six-cylinder engine, the model remained in production until 1951, with 4,001 examples built.
The Heritage Collection’s two-tone Mark VI is one of 241 coachbuilt four-door saloons produced by H.J. Mulliner. It was delivered to its first owner in January 1950 and joined Bentley’s Heritage Collection in 2021.
For more articles like this, visit our Leadership channel
