All pistons go: How Bentley gave new life to the Pyms Lane factory

The Pyms Lane factory was built to make Hurricane and Spitfire engines. Bentley, then owned by Rolls-Royce, moved in in 1946 and that year the Bentley Mark VI became the first to be built entirely at Crewe.

The Bentley T-Series was launched in 1965 after a redesign of the production line. For many, the saloon was the final nail in the coffin of the sporting image of Bentley, which famously won Le Mans six times from 1924 to 1930.

In 1998 Bentley was bought by Volkswagen and an overhaul of the Crewe site followed. A key part of this was the building of an academy, where around 60 per cent of staff get training in areas including IT and foreign languages.

David Cameron visited the factory.