Bentley celebrates British innovation, excellence at coronation festival

MANILA, Philippines - Bentley Motors is helping to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s Coronation by playing a headlining role in a special gathering of over 200 Royal Warrant Holders this July (11-14) in the unique setting of Buckingham Palace Gardens.

The British luxury carmaker, which designed and hand-built The Queen’s State Limousine, will sponsor the Saturday evening Coronation Festival Gala, which will form part of the Coronation Festival. This unique event hosted by the Royal Warrant Holders Association will showcase some of Britain’s most creative and successful businesses and organizations and celebrate the very best of UK plc.

Many of Bentley’s current cars and finest historical models will make the trip to Buckingham Palace to create a memorable automotive display. The company’s luxurious flagship saloon, the award-winning Mulsanne, will be joined by the world’s fastest 4-seat open-top car, the 202-mph Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible.

Key models from the company’s past, including the iconic R-Type Continental which was at its pinnacle during the original Coronation celebrations and a famous example of groundbreaking British automotive performance and design, will also be on display at Buckingham Palace.

Bentley’s exhibition area will allow visitors to take a rare glimpse inside the company’s headquarters in Cheshire where some of the world’s best luxury cars are created using a unique combination of traditional hand craftsmanship skills and leading-edge automotive production processes.

Richard Charlesworth, Bentley’s Director of Royal and VIP Relations, comments: “The opportunity to build and now support the State Limousine is a great source of pride for everyone at Bentley and many of our customers; it is perhaps one of the most recognised and photographed cars in the world.

“The Coronation Festival is both an opportunity for our company to show our appreciation for The Queen’s achievements and to play a part in creating a special event that puts the remarkable people and companies holding the Royal Warrant of Appointment in the limelight.”

Bentley Motors employs around 4,000 people in Crewe which is home to all its operations including design, R&D, engineering and production. The combination of fine craftsmanship, using skills that have been handed down through generations, alongside engineering expertise and cutting-edge technology is a unique example of high-value British manufacturing at its best. Bentley exported over £1bn worth of goods in 2012 and the company is the third largest R&D investor in the UK’s automotive sector and the 18th largest nationally.

The Coronation Festival is open to members of the public and 60,000 visitors are expected to attend. There will be a Royal Preview on July 11 for invited guests, including members of the Royal Family, charities, patronages, media, armed forces, inward investors and overseas trade missions, and guests of the Royal Warrant Holders Association and the Royal Household. In the evening, the Gardens will host a magnificent performance of music and dance: the Coronation Gala will celebrate cultural life during the reign of Her Majesty, showcasing the achievements and personality of this extraordinary age.

In the first quarter of 2013, Bentley’s deliveries to customers increased by 25.75 percent to 2,212 cars. The Americas remained Bentley’s largest sales region with 632 cars delivered to customers in the region, up 35 percent on Q1 2012.  In Europe, deliveries grew by 62 percent with 335 cars delivered to customers. In the UK, 371 cars were delivered to customers, a 59 percent increase on the first quarter of 2012.  In China 474 cars were delivered to customers, an 18 percent decrease which reflects anticipation of the new Flying Spur, the top selling Bentley in China, which becomes available from mid-2013 onwards. The Middle East region performed extremely well with deliveries up 41 percent to 237 cars. Asia Pacific also had an outstanding quarter, increasing its deliveries by 68 percent to 116 cars and Japan saw growth of 30.5 percent with 47 deliveries.