When Volkswagen took over Bentley in 1998 we all thought the Germans will replace the wood veneer and thick leather with fabric and plastic, basically ruining the reputation of the British marque as an exclusive car maker with extremely high levels of craftsmanship. They did that in part, like in the Continental, which came with switches and knobs straight out of VW Phaeton. But the crew at Crewe stayed strong in defending what they stood for. They let the Germans make the car and make sure it works, and then get busy with their tools to hand craft the important bits.

In this new episode of Downshift, another Motortrend youtube show, they visit the Crewe factory to reflect on its 70 years of heritage in making some of the finest cars in existence.