Bentley... W.O. would be proud (video)

The Detroit Auto Show always has a surprise or two in store for us journalists, but I have to say, for me personally this was the best year ever, and it's all thanks to a few new friends that I made there, and a man known simply as W.O.

Let me explain...

Almost a century ago, a man had a vision. That was, in his own words, to build a good car, a fast car, the best in class.

That man was Walter Owen Bentley, and today, the company which he founded all those years ago still thrives and continues to make some of the finest automobiles in the world.

No surprises there then!

The fact that the company, which still bears his name, is now owned by the Volkswagen Group is also of no great shock. After all, the Bentley brand has been operating under its capable direction for a decade now.


However, what did surprise me when I first entered the Bentley stand, were the two men dressed in brown workshop coats who displayed some of the techniques used in the production of these famous automobiles.

These were not simply local hired help, nor were they groomed models trained specifically for this event. Oh no, the two middle aged gentleman were straight from the factory floor, flown all the way from England to demonstrate the kind of craftsmanship and attention to detail which goes into making each and every Bentley vehicle so very special.

Now as some of you already know, I happen to have an older Bentley model in my classic car collection (over 20 yrs old and still going strong), so it's hardly a surprise that I eagerly scurried over to chat with them.

The first gentleman that I met was Dave who was busily working away, polishing some pieces of wood veneer. This was rather fortunate for me, as I have a slight heat crack on my dash and have been looking for some advice on how to fix it.