Bentley just celebrated the 90th birthday of the ‘Derby era’ of the brand’s history by inviting 60 vehicles of the era to its Dream Factory in Crewe, UK. Nicknamed ‘The Silent Sports Car,’ the era stretched from 1933 to 1939 and saw the development of 2,400 different 3 ½ Litre and 4 ¼ Litre machines. The cornerstone of the event was Bentley’s one-of-one 1939 MkV Corniche, once thought lost to time, taking to the public roads for the first time in 84 years.
The era is an important one for the brand as it includes the first vehicles produced under Rolls-Royce ownership and their many important mechanical and aesthetic upgrades that would become cornerstones of the brand for years. The brand says the designs conceived back then can still be seen on Continental GTs today, though you may have to squint.
