Description
Author: Andrew Frankel, Hardbound, 241 Pages, ISBN: 9780951775196, First Edition, 2003 - **Second-Hand book in excellent condition **
One of the few regrets I have from nearly 40 years of motor racing is that very little of it was done in British cars. At Le Mans I have been lucky enough to drive for some of the greatest names in the sport such as Ferrari and Porsche, but I never managed to forge a relationship with one of the top British works team until I was asked to help out at Bentley.
Even though I don't race the Speed 8, I feel as much part of that team as I did any team I drove for. And those moments when my old team-mate Andy Wallace brought the car home third in 2001 and Guy Smith drove over the line to win this year will live with me forever.
Without knowing Bentley, it's hard to see why it should all matter so much.
But when you see Bentley people at work - and it doesn't matter if you're talking about board directors, team mechanics or fitters on the assembly line — and you see their passion and dedication, it all slots into place. Working for Bentley is not just another job with another car company, it is about being part of an automotive phenomenon that started making history the day it was born 84 years ago and is doing it all over again today. Being part of Bentley is being part of that history.
This year Bentley delivered its promise to win Le Mans and will shortly begin deliveries of the Continental GT, not just the fastest four seat coupe in the world, but a car I have no doubt at all will earn its place among the greatest Grand Tourers of all time. More, much more, is to follow. It is a tremendously exciting time to be part of the company.
But while this is merely the start of the next chapter of Bentley history, that history will also come to see this instant as a changing point, the moment when Bentley was reborn, inspired by its founder's vision and re-interpreted for the 21st century. When the first Bentleys were sold in 1921 their combination of speed, sporting feel, durability, luxury and quality was unrivalled by any other. And so it is once more today.
Which is why now is the right time for this book. I have known Andrew Frankel for many years and have seen him at Bentley tests and races for the last three. I have known his passion for this marque and, now I have spent so much time so close to Bentley's road and racing cars, I understand it too. Bentley is a unique car company with an illustrious history behind it and a dazzlingly bright future ahead of it. It is this that this book aims to celebrate.
I hope you enjoy it.
DEREK BELL, FIVE TIMES WINNER OF LE MANS
