W.O. Bentley My Life and My Cars

In 1958 W. O. Bentley wrote the story of his life. It was called simply 'W.O.', was acclaimed for its modesty and honesty, and was on the top of the best seller lists for weeks. The Birmingham Post called it a 'fascinating story', Motoring World 'One of the most intriguing biographies to be published in recent years' and The Scotsman thought 'it [is] almost unthinkable that it might not have been written'. Drawing further on his experiences as a designer of cars, his work with Lagonda and aero engines as well as his writings elsewhere, Mr Bentley has now considerably enlarged his autobiography and added new material. The result is 'the definitive W.O.', the story of a man whose enthusiasm for the motor car and his uncanny skill in creating them has become a legend of the first half of the 20th century. His special flair led to his association on the one hand with young men who have now in their turn become leading engineers, and also—a very different breed—with a number of debonair and carelessly rich young sportsmen, who became collectively known as 'the Bentley Boys'; the finest racing drivers of their time. It is the men as well as the cars in his life that make Mr Bentley's autobiography so fascinating. The famous winged 'B' of the Bentley car has been with us now for many years. It is some measure of the esteem and the affection in which W.O. is held today that the products of the old Bentley company are prized and cherished as never before, and that the Bentley Drivers' Club is the most active of its kind in the world. As the Guardian has written, 'Few of the great names of motoring can stir pulses to quite the same degree as that of W.O. Bentley.'