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The original 3-litre, launched in 1921, was the first Bentley
named after its engine capacity. The ‘R’ type was named after its
chassis numbering sequence.
The first use by Bentley of the name Corniche was in the 1930s; it
was revived in 1971. The winged ‘B’ is believed to have been
designed by cartoonist and illustrator F. Gordon-Crosby. Referring
to a Bentley by its badge colour was first
noted in the 1920s.
It is hard to imagine today how surprising it must have been for
visitors to the 1919 London Motor Show to come across a motor car
labelled the “Bentley 3-litre”. At that time vehicles were always
described by their horsepower rating, but W.O. Bentley refused to
bow to a system of calculation that would take account of his
engine’s 80mm bore but not its unusually long 149mm stroke. The name
“Bentley 16hp” would hardly have done his creation justice!
From the original 3-litre in 1921 to the 4¼-litre of 1936, Bentleys
continued to be named according to their cylinder capacity, although
the supercharged 4½-litre was unofficially dubbed the “Blower”
Bentley.
Then, on the eve of World War II, came the Bentley Mk V, though only
11 were ever built. This was the
first of the “rationalised” cars to go into production, with chassis
designed to accommodate both Bentley and Rolls-Royce bodies in
various sizes. The first Bentley after the war, the Mk VI, was built
on the same principle so continued the sequence.
Its replacement in 1952 might logically have been the Mk VII, but
instead became the R-Type, beginning the sequence of single-letter
designations, R, S and T, that would continue until 1980. Why the
switch was made is unclear, as the R-Type was essentially a sleeker
development of the Mk VI, but the letter R was adopted because it
came next in the chassis numbering sequence.
The Continental name, applied to two-door specially commissioned
bodies, evokes the great days of grand touring. Corniche, also
associated with Rolls-Royce, and the recent Azure, also conjure up
the romance of open-top touring on the French Riviera. The Corniche
name was first adopted by Bentley before the war and revived in
1971.
Other names applied to Bentleys since 1980 have also had a French
connection, derived from the track at Le Mans where the legend was
created in the 1920s. Mulsanne is a famous corner, as is Arnage and
Hunaudières, the name of the exciting concept car, a fast straight.
The Bentley Brooklands of the 1990s paid similar homage to the
British track where the Bentley Boys broke many a lap record. If
naming policy changed over the course of the last century, so did
badging colours, although the winged-B emblem remained a constant.
W.O. Bentley introduced radiator badges on his 3-litre cars, and
illustrator F Gordon-Crosby is believed to have been responsible for
designing the winged-B.
In later years, Cricklewood Bentleys were commonly named after the
enamel background colour to the winged “B” badge on the radiator.
W.O. and the factory always disclaimed this and, although a common
policy was adopted, W.O. always said that the customer could have
any colour they liked.
Blue, red and green were all used for 3-litre models – red usually
for Speed models and green for Supersports. The standard 6½-litre
carried a blue and the Speed Six a green badge, while 4½-litre cars,
including Blower Bentleys, sported white “Bs” on a black background.
Yellow, white and mauve badges are all said to have been used on
special orders.
 The later 8-litre
and 4-litre cars were blue-labelled, but after production moved to
Derby in 1931, a black badge became standard. This practice
continued at Crewe until the introduction of the Mulsanne in 1982 –
turbocharged cars from then on were normally emblazoned in red.
During the Cricklewood era, winged “B” mascots first appeared on the
radiator cap. Derby Bentleys sported a redesigned winged “B”,
leaning forward on some models and backwards on others. Winged “Bs”
appeared on radiator shells on later models. Nowadays four colours
are used behind the winged-B to represent the individual driving
characteristics and images of Bentley models, a practice that began
with the Continental range. Green signifies “thoroughbred”,
epitomised by the Continental R and the Arnage, all-rounders which
balance luxury and style with performance, and the “centre of
gravity”
of the marque.
 Red, represented by
the Arnage Red Label, stands for “passion”, with all that implies in
terms of outstanding performance (from the Crewe-built 6.75-litre
engine) and handling combined with contemporary styling. Black
stands for “daring” and the very highest sports car performance
values, as found in the Continental T. “Glorious” blue emphasises
style and luxury; only blue would be appropriate for a convertible
named the Azure.
Badge colours have come full circle. Back in the 1920s, Bentleys
would often be referred to by the public as a “Red Label” or “Green
Label”. Only at the end of the century, however, were these
designations officially applied to a Bentley, when the Arnage
4.5-litre was joined by the 6.75-litre version and was dubbed the
Green Label, while its passionate stablemate, as befits the most
powerful production saloon car in the world, was accorded the Red
Label.
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