Bentley Crewe
| Bentley Crewe | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Crewe, Cheshire, England |
| Coordinates | 53°6′14.66″N 2°28′20.47″W / 53.1040722°N 2.4723528°W |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Steel frame/brick |
Bentley Crewe, located on the outskirts of Crewe, Cheshire, England, is the headquarters and design and manufacturing center of Bentley Motors Limited.
In preparation for war, Rolls Royce and the British Government searched for a location for a shadow factory to ensure production of aero-engines. Crewe, with its excellent road and rail links, as well as being located in the northwest away from the aerial bombing starting in mainland Europe, was a logical choice. Crewe also had extensive open farming land. Construction of the factory started on a 60-acre area on the potato fields of Merrill's Farm in July 1938, with the first Rolls Royce Merlin aero-engine rolling off the production line five months later. 25,000 Merlin engines were produced and at its peak, in 1943 during World War II, the factory employed 10,000 people.
With the war in Europe over and the general move towards the then new jet engines, Rolls Royce concentrated its aero engine operations at Derby and moved motor car operations to Crewe.
In 1946 the factory produced its first motor car, the Ivan Evernden designed Bentley Mark VI/Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith which was based on the short lived Bentley Mark V. It was the first Bently/Rolls-Royce with a standard pressed-steel body rather than different bodies designed and made by bespoke coach builders. The Bently Mark VI was the most successful Bentley ever manufactured: Crewe produced more than 5,000 Mark VIs, which equaled the total number of Bentleys made in the 20 years before World War II.
The Derby designed Bentley R Type was produced until 1955 when it was succeeded by the Bentley S1/Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, the first car wholly designed, developed, and built at Crewe. It was also the last Bentley fitted with a six-cylinder engine. Its successor, the Bentley S2, used the Crewe designed and developed 6.25-litre, all-aluminium, Rolls-Royce V8 engine, which has remained in production in various forms ever since.
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