Thursday 17th April 2014

Bentley Turbo R: Under the hammer

A staunchly old-school Bentley that Keith continues to be tempted by

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Okay, I admit it. I've a huge soft spot for British cars, and as I get older, I'm learning to appreciate some of life's little luxuries. But unlike some of my more Roverish fixations, there's no shame in admitting I'd not kick a Turbo R off my driveway. In fact, it's a car that's on my all-time wish list. I suspect this PH Hero is on a few of yours, too.

This view clears outside lanes

The good news is that the car that saved Rolls-Royce/Bentley during the 1980s and 90s, is not only a serious bargain at today's prices, but is actually gaining a fair amount of kudos on the back of its understated looks, huge performance and gentleman's club interior. The classifieds aren't short of good examples to choose from - take your pick from PH's best between £6,000 and £20,000. I did wonder for a moment whether our Dutch friend selling this '87 example might consider doing a swap for my similarly aged Delta Integrale. But sanity came a-knocking all too quickly.

But what makes the 300hp Turbo R so special - and quintessentially British - is that it's swift, but never feels so, and is supremely relaxing. They handle, too. Bentley chose to fit stiffened, lower suspension, which means you can really attack corners - your main impediment to really fast progress being how slippery the unsupportive leather seats are. Former colleague Mark Dixon once drove me home in the Midlands from Dover in his on a mixture of motorways and A-roads, and I swear I've never beaten his time.

Not all at sea through corners either

Consequently, for the past few years, I've been watching Turbo Rs closely, waiting for my piggy bank to fill-up enough to take the plunge. They seem to rock up to auctions, command low estimates, and then sell for extremely tempting, amounts of money. And it's the theatre of the auction ring that fortune favours the brave.

Think I'm joking? Take this 1989 car that Barons has set for the block on April 28, and which could be worth a punt. It's simply described as complete, with history, but no MoT. I might be shallow for mentioning something so banal as colour but in black it looks sinister, which is perfect for filling reps' rear-view mirrors with its grille and the twin-cooling fans behind. Barons puts an estimate of £3,500-£4,500, and if it goes for anywhere near that - with due consideration for MoT and service - I reckon that could still be a huge bargain.

Barons' car has an estimate of just £4K

OK, so if you hoof it everywhere then expect less than 15mpg. And if you're super-gentle, you might just get it to nudge 20mpg. But is fuel consumption such a big deal on a cherished weekend plaything? Perhaps it's this, combined with the fact you need a huge parking space or garage to house it, that scares people off, keeping values low. Their loss.

But I'll not smile while I recommend you buy these cars on the back of a promised value uplift in months to come. Because it's probably not going to happen. As I said, I've been watching these cars in all types of condition woofle through the auction ring since the early 2000s reliably fetching between £5,000-£15,000, and that's where they remain today.

And who wouldn't want this interior?

Auction house H&H, for instance, has processed many through the years. If you compare the 1984 Turbo with upgrades that it sold for £7,500 in June 2000 with the 1993 example that went this time last year, with 73,000 miles on the clock, and good history, for £7,910 you'll see where I am coming from.

But, ye gads, as a car to make you feel special as you drive, soothing your troubles as the rest of the world road-rages around you, nothing comes close to matching a Bentley Turbo R for the money. Forgive me while I drop into full-blown cliche mode for a second - but for the price of run-down Ford Focus, you can drive a true great that's perfect for that trip to Le Mans. And one thing you can be sure of is that it's not going to drop any further in value than it already has. Well, I hope so...

[V8 FOU]

I bought one last week. Always buy the post '92 with the better 4 speed gearbox. And post '96 with the Zytec management.
Ultimate car. Mine came with new tyres and brakes, 75K on the clock and some tax for £8K!

This is going to be my new track car........

[V8 FOU]

BrightonEd said:

How can they extract so little power from such a vast engine?
May be cheap to buy but staggeringly ruinous to run, one assumes (I may stand corrected on that).
Landlord's car.

380BHP so little? It's the huge torque that does the acceleration. Not that quick off the line, but floor it at 90mph (on a private road, of course) and it changes down TWO gears and flies - into 5th @ 120.

I do believe the old adage of "if I have to explain you wouldn't understand" applies here.

Not too ruinous to run. On the later cars 20+ mpg not impossible, and plenty of s/h parts available.

Still, let's keep the reputation going so those in the know benefit.

Landlords? There's a Shadow 1 parked locally on a pub forecourt - been there for at least 20years.....

[V8 FOU]

Sure couldn't see a chassis when I last looked underneath mine......

[V8 FOU]

K50 DEL said:

If I ever found myself with a family to punt around then I would have one of these in a hearbeat... one of the last truly classy cars on the road I think.

Unfortunately however they don't make much sense as a singleton so a Turbo R will remain, for now at least, a dream!

Pah! Rip out the rear seats and install some race seats. Problem solved! Just like I am doing.......

Family indeed!