It may not seem it, but it's been 10 years since Volkswagen bought Bentley - 10 years in which the Crewe factory has been transformed from the antediluvian (it started life building Merlin aero-engines) to a truly modern manufacturing facility; and 10 years in which the all-new Continental series of cars has been designed, engineered and built, transforming Bentley's fortunes, profits and production numbers. Five years ago barely 1,000 Bentleys were being made per year: last year just over 10,000 were assembled on the site. It has also, of course, won the Le Mans 24 hour race.

But in this era when most Bentleys are built more quickly and sold more cheaply than ever before, for a small number of die-hard traditionalists it is reassuring to know that some things at Bentley never change. Leather is still stitched by rows of ladies with sewing machines, woodworking skills are still handed down from parent to child. Walk about in Crewe and you'll not just see robots, lasers and computers - you'll see chisels, lathes and hammers too. And, for just a few very monied individuals, a small number of old school Bentleys are still painstakingly constructed over a period of several months. This, the Bentley Brooklands, is the newest and best of the lot.

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