Bentley Hosts the Northern Group for 2023 Ordinary Meeting

The first Ordinary Meeting of the Northern Group of Motoring Writers in 2023 has taken place in the rather spectacular surroundings of Bentley’s headquarters at Pyms Lane, Crewe.

It’s the second time the Group has headed to Crewe for an event, with Bentley also hosting an event and meeting in early 2020. However, rather a lot has changed since then, both at Bentley and in the wider world.

As well as graciously offering overnight accommodation for members coming in from the farthest reaches of the area, Bentley arranged a packed day of activities ahead of the evening meeting — itself held in the museum section of the CW1 House that forms the centre of Bentley’s customer-facing operations on the site.

With 17 members making the trip to Crewe, the Group was split into two to take part in different activities with a swap at lunch. One half would head out onto the nearby roads in Bentley vehicles that covered the current range, with two Bentyaga hybrids, Continental GT and Continental GT Convertible, and the Flying Spur Mulliner hybrid.

The other half meanwhile would take a full tour of the factory site, including the heritage garage, vehicle final assembly line, and the extensive areas for leather, wood, and stitching that go into making the opulent interiors. It’s a tour that Bentley customers can take part in, to help with the build and specification — from nearly 40 billion standard combinations! — of their own car.

That all preceded the ordinary meeting at the end of the day which, hopefully, is the first of many as the Group looks to resume normal activities following disruptions over the past three years and start to mark our own 50th anniversary.