Bentley opens new Heritage Garage at Crewe factory

by Gavin Braithwaite-Smith

13 October 2022 2 min read

Bentley has announced the opening of a new Heritage Centre at its original Crewe factory site. It means that, for the first time ever, every car in the Bentley Heritage Collection is now kept on the Bentley campus.

The Heritage Garage will play host to 22 cars from the Collection, currently spread from 1919 onwards but eventually focusing on cars built in Crewe – everything from 1946 onwards. The cars are kept in perfect working order and road-legal condition.

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By the summer of 2023, the Collection will be split across three areas: Cricklewood models (1919-31), Derby-era Bentleys (1931-1939) and Crewe-built cars. The eight motorsport cars in the collection will form a separate display.

There are 42 cars in the entire Bentley Heritage Collection, including EXP2, the second car built by W.O. Bentley and the oldest Bentley in the world. Two Blowers are in the Collection, including Team Car #2, the most valuable Bentley in existence, plus a 1929 Speed Six, and W.O.’s personal 1930 8 Litre.

The new Heritage Garage is located within the evocative surroundings of the 1930s brick-built factory, where models such as the 2003 Continental GT were planned and developed. VIN 20001, the very first Continental GT out of the Crewe factory is part of the Heritage Collection.

Mike Sayer, the head of Bentley’s Heritage Collection, said: “Having now rebuilt the Collection to fully chart our history, we have an ongoing commitment to add to it with each significant new model we launch. For example, the Collection now includes the 2019 Bentayga Hybrid, which was both the first-ever plug-in hybrid Bentley and an important step in our ‘Beyond100’ strategy towards electrification.

“As we continue to evolve, we want our guests and colleagues from all areas of the company to be able to share the rich history of Bentley Motors. The Heritage Garage brings that history to vivid life, and means we can actively reference our past while setting the course for our future.”

Other significant cars in the Collection, which is open to the media, VIPs and customers, include three generations of the Flying Spur, a 1991 Turbo R and a 2001 Arnage Red Label. Form an orderly Crewe.