RE: PH Heroes: Bentley Turbo R
Discussion
I have wanted one ever since the Chairman at the ad agency I worked for got his black one. He used to think getting one of his 'surfs' to drive him about on a Friday or Saturday night was well worth paying £50 a shot for (this is 20 years ago).
Twenty five years old and getting paid the equivalent of £80 in today's money to drive around a Bentley Turbo R for about three or four hours - happy days
So, when the Tourer eventually decides that it has had enough, a Turbo R will definitely be worth a look. I only do 3 miles a day so fuel isn't exactly a worry
Twenty five years old and getting paid the equivalent of £80 in today's money to drive around a Bentley Turbo R for about three or four hours - happy days
So, when the Tourer eventually decides that it has had enough, a Turbo R will definitely be worth a look. I only do 3 miles a day so fuel isn't exactly a worry
I have had mine http://www.johncoventry.net/bentley.html for about five and a half years and do about 3K miles a year in it and I would recommend it to anyone. Like all good things, however, they don't come cheap - although even a good one can be bought for peanuts (relatively speaking - around £10-15K, which is a fraction of what it would have cost when new and les than 10% of the price of a new Arnage) if you are not prepared to spend money looking after it, don't buy one! But if you are, and you enjoy a bit of style and comfort, it has no equal - you will get a great deal of pleasure for comparitivley modest outlay.
Of all your mates cars that you would quite happily half-inch from them...BG is the one for me 
The 'Warracle' aka 'Woogle' aka Balmoral Green (
) has very kindly offered to let me drive but weirdly enough I just want to be a passenger ensconced in all that sumptuous cream leather 
...mmm...leather
Trace
The 'Warracle' aka 'Woogle' aka Balmoral Green (
) has very kindly offered to let me drive but weirdly enough I just want to be a passenger ensconced in all that sumptuous cream leather ...mmm...leather
Trace
My dad bought a 'G' plate one of these last week. I've only been in the passenger seat so far, and I'm not sure what the ride is suppose to be like, but I can only describe it as "sickening".
The slightest bump in the road, sends it in to a nausiating bouncing up & down , the likes of which I've only ever witnessed on 'The Deadliest Catch'
I'll have a blast at driving it this weekend to see if I can get my own back on him, but I've suggested he doubles up on the Sainsburys bags for when he starts hurling .
FWIW, he loves the car.
The slightest bump in the road, sends it in to a nausiating bouncing up & down , the likes of which I've only ever witnessed on 'The Deadliest Catch'
I'll have a blast at driving it this weekend to see if I can get my own back on him, but I've suggested he doubles up on the Sainsburys bags for when he starts hurling .
FWIW, he loves the car.
Some 4 years ago I almost went into a central bollard in London on my motorbike (Bandit 12). The reason - a Bentley Turbo but not like I had seen before. Wider rear track, flared arches, rear bumper with grill insert, cont T wheels, side vents, and that was just the rear and side!. It was of course an RT Mulliner. That sowed the seed of desire but as they only made 12 in RHD, and not many more in LHD, the wait was endless and the 2 that did come up over the years were outside my financial reach at the time.
Well dreams do come true and I recently purchased a 2 owner storm silver one. On closer inspection the whole front is changed as is the dash and seating; not to mention the Mulliner anti roll bars and 420 brake engine. The Turbo R in any form is an impressive and unique car, but the Mulliner is just so rare (the name of the first owner is on the sill plate) and has all the special touches that some well heeled individual paid Mulliner about 65K for on top of the RT price!!!
Is it 65K better? No. But second hand it is well worth paying a hefty premium for. One could argue that the rarity alone makes it a fairly sound investment but for me it is about the car itself. I have owned numerous cars over the years - Ferraris, M5, Jags, A8 4.2Q (a great car by the way), Interceptor etc but the sense of occasion in this is in another league and I have only ever seen 1 other one on the road. It also spends more time on the road than in the garage, which is more than I can say for most of the others. Being a keen track day person (E30 M3) I like driving and the Bentley really surprises you when you push it.
For those who are thinking about taking the plunge the ownership feel is worth a lot in itself. But do buy carefully and insist on solid history. A 10K car will probably cost you 5-10 to get running and driving nicely, and of course the lack of servicing abuse that caused this expense will also be present in the condition of the car in general. Hence the huge price variance on what appear in adverts to be similar cars. If ever there was an argument for 'buy the best you can' these cars are right up there. Once up to scratch though they are great and reliable (unlike Ferraris - which I love). I use mine every day and have put 4000 miles on it in 4 months. Fuel is a killer (no worse than a petrol RR though as I found out) but you have to look at the big picture - depreciation, ongoing repairs etc.
One person in this thread remarked on the bouncy and sickening ride! This is common on these cars where the suspension is totally shot. The only solution is to change the legs, set up the ride height and if it is an active ride model (post 90 ish) the active ride settings. Transforms the car, but you are looking at 800 quid per leg for parts alone, hence the reason some people do not change them until their breakfast lasts about 5 minutes into the journey every morning!
By the way I specifically chose the RT Mulliner over an Arnage Red Label. Nice car, but the former wins hands down just on sheer cool and exclusivity alone.
Well dreams do come true and I recently purchased a 2 owner storm silver one. On closer inspection the whole front is changed as is the dash and seating; not to mention the Mulliner anti roll bars and 420 brake engine. The Turbo R in any form is an impressive and unique car, but the Mulliner is just so rare (the name of the first owner is on the sill plate) and has all the special touches that some well heeled individual paid Mulliner about 65K for on top of the RT price!!!
Is it 65K better? No. But second hand it is well worth paying a hefty premium for. One could argue that the rarity alone makes it a fairly sound investment but for me it is about the car itself. I have owned numerous cars over the years - Ferraris, M5, Jags, A8 4.2Q (a great car by the way), Interceptor etc but the sense of occasion in this is in another league and I have only ever seen 1 other one on the road. It also spends more time on the road than in the garage, which is more than I can say for most of the others. Being a keen track day person (E30 M3) I like driving and the Bentley really surprises you when you push it.
For those who are thinking about taking the plunge the ownership feel is worth a lot in itself. But do buy carefully and insist on solid history. A 10K car will probably cost you 5-10 to get running and driving nicely, and of course the lack of servicing abuse that caused this expense will also be present in the condition of the car in general. Hence the huge price variance on what appear in adverts to be similar cars. If ever there was an argument for 'buy the best you can' these cars are right up there. Once up to scratch though they are great and reliable (unlike Ferraris - which I love). I use mine every day and have put 4000 miles on it in 4 months. Fuel is a killer (no worse than a petrol RR though as I found out) but you have to look at the big picture - depreciation, ongoing repairs etc.
One person in this thread remarked on the bouncy and sickening ride! This is common on these cars where the suspension is totally shot. The only solution is to change the legs, set up the ride height and if it is an active ride model (post 90 ish) the active ride settings. Transforms the car, but you are looking at 800 quid per leg for parts alone, hence the reason some people do not change them until their breakfast lasts about 5 minutes into the journey every morning!
By the way I specifically chose the RT Mulliner over an Arnage Red Label. Nice car, but the former wins hands down just on sheer cool and exclusivity alone.
Would love to see it!RUSSELLM said:
My dad bought a 'G' plate one of these last week. I've only been in the passenger seat so far, and I'm not sure what the ride is suppose to be like, but I can only describe it as "sickening".
The slightest bump in the road, sends it in to a nausiating bouncing up & down , the likes of which I've only ever witnessed on 'The Deadliest Catch'
I'll have a blast at driving it this weekend to see if I can get my own back on him, but I've suggested he doubles up on the Sainsburys bags for when he starts hurling .
FWIW, he loves the car.
Maybe the dampers are tired, they must take a bit of a hammering and are presumably quite old?The slightest bump in the road, sends it in to a nausiating bouncing up & down , the likes of which I've only ever witnessed on 'The Deadliest Catch'
I'll have a blast at driving it this weekend to see if I can get my own back on him, but I've suggested he doubles up on the Sainsburys bags for when he starts hurling .
FWIW, he loves the car.
There's just something about these old Bentleys. I have no childhood recollection or experience of them, but I still want one. Is there an idiots guide to the various models available? I don't know what changed over the years, nor which is regarded as the model to go for. Trying to educate myself and just made a very big mistake when I clicked on 'Azure'. Oh God.
I Love them. I remember drooling over a BRG one with green leather piped in red at the motorshow.
£20K will get you an absolute minter from a specialist.
My father bought a Mulliner Continental R a few months ago. Basically a Continental T but with the R's longer wheelbase. Driven that a few times and it flies for such a big car. Taking it to the Goodwood Revival next month.
Looks virtually the same as this one (and bought from the same place)
£20K will get you an absolute minter from a specialist.
My father bought a Mulliner Continental R a few months ago. Basically a Continental T but with the R's longer wheelbase. Driven that a few times and it flies for such a big car. Taking it to the Goodwood Revival next month.
Looks virtually the same as this one (and bought from the same place)
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