Introduced in September 1933, the 3½ litre was the first Bentley after Rolls-Royce's acquisition of Bentley Motors in 1931. Bentley only supplied the chassis, scuttle, radiator and grill while the customers chose their own coachbuilder to construct a body to their own requirements. Many distributors had coachworks of their choice pre built for immediate sale. The Bentleys of this era are known as Derby Bentleys as they were built in the Rolls-Royce factory situated in Derby, England.