There are several luxury car brands, think Jaguar, Maybach, Lexus or Maserati. Yet there are two brands that stand out above the rest in terms of luxury, history and status.
Who are these ultimate Masters of Luxury? The first is the champion of luxury motoring: Rolls-Royce. The other is a little less focused on pure luxury, but traditionally offers a little more driving pleasure: Bentley. It is often said that Rolls-Royces are built for the rear seat passenger, while Bentleys are made primarily for the driver. Even if this is over-simplified, it does contain a grain of truth. Bentley has always considered sporting performance and handling as driving pleasure, and therefore luxury. Rolls-Royce, on the other hand, has created an image of a car for kings, and kings sit in the back seat.
The two British luxury brands seem inextricably linked. In 1931, Rolls-Royce even became the owner of Bentley. In the early twentieth century, the two brands were competitors, but when The Great Depression hit in 1929, only Rolls-Royce had a plan B. Rolls-Royce continued to make money by building aircraft engines, while Bentley could no longer make mortgage payments. So Walter Owen Bentley accepted a takeover offer from the British Central Equitable Trust. What he did not know, however, was that this trust was just a front for Rolls-Royce... Thus Rolls-Royce turned its rival into a source of income. Because both brands had overlapping markets, very many parts and styling elements were exchanged. In fact, during the seventy years that Rolls-Royce owned Bentley, their cars were often virtually identical, except for their distinctive hood ornaments.
In 1971, Rolls-Royce did not escape financial difficulties either. Eventually, the aircraft engine division was separated from the automaker. A nationalization and later a sale followed, but Rolls-Royce continued to own Bentley for a long time. Separation began in 1998, and in 2003 Rolls-Royce and Bentley became fully independent. Although, they did not become "independent," they became independent of each other. Thus, Rolls-Royce became part of the BMW Group, while Bentley was absorbed into the VW Group. Takeover by a large corporation can often be the death knell for a small exclusive brand. But fortunately, both Bentley and Rolls-Royce have blossomed under intelligent German management. Today they both have a strong personality again, doing justice to their past. The brands are again completely different, but still Rolls-Royce accentuates ultimate luxury and Bentley flirts with sportiness. Bentley even returned to the racetrack.
Bentley, in addition to seas of luxury, has always placed great emphasis on sportiness. So was racing. The first victory came over a hundred years ago, at the legendary Brooklands bowl track, the world's first permanent racetrack. Bentley's greatest successes came during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the 1920s, Bentley won this most important long-distance race in the world five times. In 2003, Bentley returned to Le Mans one more time, to win again. In 2017, the Bentley Continental GT3 became champion in the prestigious GT Endurance Championship. Yet it is too short of the mark to portray Bentley as a racehorse and Rolls-Royce as a luxury horse. Of course, Rolls-Royce is the king of luxury. For example, only eighteen examples of the Phantom IV were built and sold in the 1950s, and every buyer was a head of state or member of a reigning royal family. And even though Rolls-Royce has abandoned this kind of extreme exclusivity, the goal remains for occupants to float silently along the road. The current Ghost, for example, is equipped with a whopping 100 kg of soundproofing material. Since extra weight comes at the expense of acceleration and handling, Bentley takes a slightly different view. Bentley also offers a great deal of comfort, but relative to Rolls-Royce, it seeks a little more of a compromise between luxury and driving pleasure. For example, in addition to all the luxury, the current Bentley Continental GT Speed has 659 horsepower, a top speed of 335 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 100 in 3.6 seconds. That's serious sports car performance.
Rolls-Royces have never been slow, quite the contrary. Traditionally, the question of how much power the cars had was simply answered with "adequate. Nowadays, you can simply find how much horsepower a Rolls has, and it's not little. Current models have around 600 hp and pull from 0 to 100 in about five seconds, which is already pretty powerful, yet Rolls-Royce took an extra step in 2016 with the introduction of the Black Badge package. Rolls-Royce itself describes the Black Badges as the dark alter-egos of the standard models. They are dark, bold, fast and powerful. With more direct handling and better acceleration, a Black Badge feels the road, and thus floats less. A soft growling engine sound dispels the distinctive silence. A Black Badge sacrifices a little ride comfort for a lot of extra driving pleasure. As a result, these Rolls-Royces move more toward the Bentley philosophy. And that's a good strategy for the future, as it allows Rolls-Royce to attract younger buyers.
In 2021, both Rolls-Royce and Bentley reported record financial figures, and have been on an upward trend for years. So they both look forward to the future. But the future of the auto industry is electric. Where do they stand on that? For brands that want to float quietly down the road but also have flashy acceleration, electric is obviously a fantastic solution. Still, many of their customers appreciate tradition. So flag-waving ahead of the Electric Revolution was out of the question for both. The market is now ready for it, and neither brand wants to be left behind and become an old-fashioned polluter. Bentley recently launched its second hybrid model. This Flying Spur Hybrid is instantly the cleanest and most efficient Bentley ever. By 2024, all Bentleys will have a hybrid option. In 2025 the first all-electric Bentley will come out, and by 2030 all models will be all-electric. Rolls-Royce will come out with its first all-electric model, the Spectre, as early as 2023. And Rolls-Royce also wants to have all-electric offerings by 2030. So just like a century ago, Bentley and Rolls-Royce are again competitors. And so they should be. They are at their best when they keep pushing each other to new heights.
MASTERS MAGAZINE
In the summer edition of MASTERS, an interview with Sven Kramer, a driving impression of the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport and an examination of Max's Effect. But above all, it features people who bring light into the darkness. Like Henk Jan Beltman, who took over Tony's Chocolonely because with a business you can make the world a more beautiful place. Chef Emile van der Staak, who has the ambition to change our food culture and therefore cooks with plants and vegetables sourced from the food forest. Designer Nienke Hoogvliet, who has introduced natural seaweed paint as an alternative to harmful textile dyes. And Anna Nooshin, who denounces the current social media culture of pretty pictures. In her documentary, she also shares the less beautiful aspects of her life. All of them people who ask questions, present mirrors, make steps. Steps toward a healthier world and more understanding society.
© 2024 MASTERS EXPO. All rights reserved.
