Welcome
Padgett Motor Engineers are Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialists.
The leading authority on R Type Bentley Continentals.
Specialists in rally competition preparation to winning standards. The engine is rebuilt to extremely high specification to meet requirements of international rally driving with sustainable competition endurance. Also all work to standard cars in the same 'concours' standard.
A Brief History of Padgett Motor Enginers
This firm was established 1957 in Newbury, Berkshire by Alan Padgett father of present owner Jeremy.
Alan was apprenticed as a motor mechanic in York during WW 2 until his 'Conscription' in 1946 and served in the 'Royal Air Force' in the Far East,. By 1949 he was back in England and having finished his apprenticeship, started working part time on motor vehicle repairs including Vintage cars. In 1954, now married, he and his wife moved to Newbury. Berks,
Alan was involved with racing Bentleys after selling his first Vintage car a 12/40 Lea Francis and buying a 1926 Speed Model 3 Litre.. He worked part time to gain essential experience, from Tony Townshend at Whittonditch works from 1954. He worked on some very interesting Bentleys including the Birkin Blower UU5872 when owned by Stanley Sears. Subsequently he worked on many BDC members' Bentleys which included famous ones like the Barnato Hassan 8 litre ;. 'Old Number One' Brooklands 8 litre, his own Speed Six YF 3984 and many others including the R-R Ltd Bentleys. this naturally brought Padgett Motor Engineers to the forefront of the technical and intricate development of reliable sports and racing Bentleys, and many others.
By 1964 a newly emerged class of post-war Bentleys were well known in racing, the Mk Vl sports and racing 'special'. The Bradley Brothers were the first to take this route and must be given full credit for such foresight.
Our first design, which proved to be popular, was built with a modified chassis design, to move the engine and transmission rearwards for the traditional sporting lines of a Bentley sports car, thereby setting a trend that has survived to this day. Over 45 varied sports Bentleys were built by us, using engines from S 1.s, 4.25, 4.5 litre versions, and even the V8s. Many have been used extensively for racing now and have been very successful too. Many 'specials' are still racing after 30 or 40 years constant use.
It was during this time in the mid 1970s that Jeremy started to work with his father. This was the perfect apprenticeship as Jeremy was surrounded by Bentleys from childhood.
This ever improving class of Bentley sports car has paved the way for another style of Bentley now getting the head lines. The Bentley R Type. Continental Sports Saloon, upgraded to Rally Specification, of which some 12 have been rebuilt and proved to be a world-wide, highly sort after Bentley of any genre.
This project was instigated and carefully processed by the fabulously talented motor engineer, the late Christian Hueber, from Philadelphia. Together with Padgett Motor Engineers.
Jeremy Padgett eventually took over full control of the business in 1995 when his father retired, after 54 years as a motor-engineer.
Padgett Motor Engineers have contacts with the finest motor engineering specialised development firms world-wide and are constantly looking forward to new methods of performance and design enhancements for your Bentley driving pleasures.
This has allowed us to work on, restore, or rally prepare some 25 Continentals in the last 14 year period alone. These range from “standard” tourers, to the full rally modification.
All have been successful in High Distance Tours and Retrospective Historic Rallies in Europe, Scandinavia, Middle East, and Asia, including the mountainous regions of the Pyrenees, Alps, Dolomites, and the Himalayas.
