Best of Bentley’s Heritage Collection cars prove to be the ultimate crowd drawers in epic weekend of motor racing
As the official automotive partner for the 79th Goodwood Members’ Meeting held on April 9 and 10 at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex, England, Bentley Motors impressed event guests during the epic weekend of motor racing through its display of 10 iconic models.
The 10 models, spanning 90 years of Bentley history (from 1929 through to 2019), form part of Bentley’s Heritage Collection cars. Dubbed the “Bentley Toy Box,” the Heritage Collection now includes 35 running, reliable and road-legal cars with the addition of six models. Four of the six new Heritage Collection cars, along with six previous ones, were not only displayed at Goodwood, but were also offered for drives to privileged guests.
The new additions means that the heritage fleet now includes Bentley cars from every decade and examples of every significant model. The six cars that joined the Heritage Collection are the 1929 Speed Six, completing Bentley’s pre-war collection; 1949 Mark VI, an example of the first Bentley built in Crewe; 1963 S3 Standard Saloon, considered the most exquisite four-door of the period; 1984 Continental, a drophead formerly used by Bentley’s chairman at the time; 1991 Turbo R, which started the rebirth of Bentley as a sporting brand; and the 2001 Arnage Red Label, which marked the return of the 6.75-liter V8 engines to Bentley sedans.
Having been built across the marque’s Cricklewood, Derby and Crewe plants, the 35-piece collection perfectly articulates Bentley’s history.
“Bentley is undergoing the biggest and fastest transformation in its 102-year history, as part of the Beyond100 strategy. As the brand defines its new direction, it’s vital to be able to chart our journey to date and where the Bentley of today came from. The expanding Heritage Collection will play a key part in that process, providing examples of every chapter of the company’s long history,” said Mike Sayer, Head of Bentley’s Heritage Collection.
The Goodwood Members’ Meeting recreates the atmosphere and camaraderie of the original BARC Members’ Meetings held at Goodwood throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Besides the historical significance presented by the Bentley Toy Box, last weekend’s event featured a typically rich and diverse mix of races focused on the ear-splitting V10s and V8s that powered Formula One grids between 1989 and 2005.
Damon Hill was reunited once more with the Williams FW18 with which he won the 1996 world championship. McLaren was represented by the 2000 Mika Hakkinen MP4-15, as well as Ayrton Senna’s 1989 and 1991 title-winning MP4/5 and MP4/6 cars, and the MP4/7 of 1992. Michael Schumacher was celebrated via his 1993 Benetton, his Ferrari F310 that won him his first race for the Maranello team at the 1996 Spanish GP, and the Ferrari F310B from the inauspicious 1997 season. Beyond the Formula One collection, also proving to be crowd-drawers were Group C sports cars led by Porsche 956s and 962s.