This Limited Edition Photo Book Honors 100 Classic Bentley Cars

Indulge in the luxe British automaker’s rich history with this high-octane tome.

Maxim Staff

Jan 16, 2020

Assouline Bentley Book (5) — Perhaps the most sybaritic Bentley of them all, the Grand Convertible Concept, was no meanly proportioned two-plus-two cabriolet, but a convertible palace on wheels—with space to sprawl in sumptuous surroundings for you and up to three of your closest friends.

Publishing house Assouline is celebrating Bentley’s 100-year reign as one of the premier names in luxury automobiles with a new book, The Impossible Collection of Bentley: The 100 at 100.

With text by British car journalist Andrew Frankel, who previously penned the award-winning Bentley: The Story, the high-octane book features 100 of Bentley’s most important models.

Assouline Bentley Book (2) — Frank Clement’s Tourist Trophy car, fitted with a streamlined body, was Bentley’s first single-seater automobile, late 1922.

Frankel’s comprehensive selection of vehicles spans nearly a century. There’s the 1924 3-liter, which was the first Bentley to win Le Mans, and Bentley’s inaugural V8-powered vehicle, the 1959 S2. Frankel’s final pick is the 2018 Continental GT, a strikingly beautiful coupe that’s still in production today.

Bentley Mulsanne 675 Edition - — The Bentley Mulsanne 6.75 Edition by Mulliner

Also featured is the 1982 Mulsanne Turbo. Before the forthcoming Flying Spur takes its place as Bentley’s flagship, the beloved limousine is getting a proper sendoff with the newly announced 2020 Mulsanne 6.75 Edition by Mulliner, named for the famous 6.75-liter V8 under the hood and styling by British coachbuilder Mulliner.

Assouline Bentley Book (3) — The only true sports car made by Bentley at Crewe until the 1980s, just 208 of the famed R-Type Continentals were ever produced; and complete with landmark lightweight aluminum bodywork, all but fifteen of them were built by H.J. Mulliner. At the time, it was the fastest four-seat car in the world.

All entries feature detailed critiques and explanations of the engineering and manufacturing processes, including speculation by Frankel about the various creative avenues Bentley may have taken in designing each.

Assouline Bentley Book (4) — The Speed 8 earned Bentley its sixth victory at Le Mans, seventy-three years after the fifth. Two prototypes entered the race and duly came home in first and second places—with the next fastest car coming in five laps behind the winner.

Like many of vehicles featured in its pages, Bentley: 100‘s custom case is made from hand-stitched leather. It’s just the latest limited edition photo book from Assouline, which recently launched Football: The Impossible Collection—The 100 Most Legendary Moments in History to celebrate 150 years of college football and 100 years of the NFL.