Bentley celebrating 70 years of its design department

From pen-and-ink sketches and watercolours to the latest immersive virtual reality technology, Bentley is celebrating 70 years of its design department — as it prepares to relocate to a new site to create luxury electric limousines. 

The first Crewe-designed Bentley was the R-Type Continental in 1951. The company’s design department has already grown tenfold to 50 in less than three decades. 

Bentley’s director of design Andreas Mindt said: ‘Iconic Bentleys were created here — beautiful cars that have stood the test of time, and which inspire our styling cues to this day.

‘Our team of designers is now engaged with their next opportunity — creating our first battery electric vehicle (BEV), which must translate and reshape those classic forms and details to a truly future-facing design.’ 

Classic cars must embrace challenge of ‘green’ agenda 

Classic and historic vehicles can still be ‘green’ and must embrace the challenge of the environmental agenda, says the new head of the campaign group recently set up to promote their future. 

Garry Wilson, who becomes the first chief executive of the Historic and ClassicVehicles Alliance, said: ‘I think we need to embrace the environmental challenge and work with legislators to identify solutions, while demonstrating clearly the environmental credentials of the classic movement.’ 

Saving the planet: Classic and historic vehicles can still be ‘green’ and must embrace the challenge of the environmental agenda

The classic and heritage sector contributes an estimated £18.3billion to the economy and £3billion tax to the Treasury. 

Garry started as a Rover apprentice in the 1980s and worked his way up, recently helping establish the Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centre and Advanced Propulsion Centre, based at Warwick University, to boost UK-based green projects.

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