The Bentley Continental marque is one which has been applied to this British manufacturer's sportier, low slung models over the years.

It was first used in 1952 when the Continental Mark VI and Continental R-Type were both launched. The facets of these vehicles would go on to typify future models which were designated as Continental.

As well as being lower and lighter, Bentley Continental models usually have larger engines equipped in order to give them more power than the standard vehicles on which they are based.

In general a Continental takes a two door design and will be oriented less towards comfort, instead favouring a driving experience which takes advantage of the additional horsepower that is on tap.

The 'Continental' name tag was dreamt up in the '50s because at the time the UK lacked any significantly lengthy stretches of motorway over which high speeds could reasonably be attained. This meant that people would often have to look to Europe if they wanted to experience straight, fast highways.

Interestingly the inspiration for the first Continentals was drawn from a much earlier Bentley designed by French coach building company Carrosserie Pourtout back in 1938. Long, low and fast, the so-called Embricos Bentley would act as the blueprint for future sporty models.

Throughout the 1950s and the 1960s Bentley went on to introduce Continental editions of its S1, S2 and S3 models, often outsourcing the work to independent coach building companies. However, when the Continental marque took a break between 1965 and 1984, it brought everything back in-house.

The first Bentley to be designated solely as the Continental was a rebadged version of the Rolls-Royce Corniche IV produced for a decade from the mid 1980s.

In the 1990s the Continental R, S and T were introduced in quick succession, with the first of these models representing a significant shift for Bentley because it was the first of its vehicles since the 1960s to use an entirely different body to anything offered by Rolls-Royce.

After the turn of the millennium the Continental range continued going from strength to strength, with newer models offering even more power and an updated aesthetic style which appealed to a fresh generation of owners.