Just bought my first Bentley Turbo R.
Discussion
Hey,
I've just joined the ranks of Bentley ownership having confirmed purchase on this Dec-1988 build Turbo R.
Distinctly daunting buying a car in the UK sight unseen from Australia, but nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that.
Looks to be in good condition, rust free, and has good history. It was also the right colour combination for my preference and was the latest allowable build to fit with our pretty limiting pre-1989 import rules.
Now just need to get it shipped out to Melbourne!
Anyone know of this car?
Cheers & looking forward to getting to drive it.
Al
I've just joined the ranks of Bentley ownership having confirmed purchase on this Dec-1988 build Turbo R.
Distinctly daunting buying a car in the UK sight unseen from Australia, but nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that.
Looks to be in good condition, rust free, and has good history. It was also the right colour combination for my preference and was the latest allowable build to fit with our pretty limiting pre-1989 import rules.
Now just need to get it shipped out to Melbourne!
Anyone know of this car?
Cheers & looking forward to getting to drive it.
Al
Congratulations on acquiring your Bentley. It is not currently listed as belonging to a member of the Bentley Drivers Club. I had a 1991 Mulsanne S Mk II which looked very similar, but lacked the Turbo. I kept it for 10 years before the running costs became disproportionate to the value of the car. Things to watch out for -
If your car has active ride, the shock absorbers are very expensive - say £1000 each in the UK. You might be able to do away with the active ride and fit Bilsteins, but this is a specialist area where you need to take advice from somebody who knows.
The windscreen wiper rack is very sensitive to being set up properly - that is, if it's a two stage operation, where when you turn the wipers off, first they stop, then move down the screen into the park position. The microswitches that control these operations need to be in the right position, or else the motor continues to run when the mechanism has reached the end of its' travels. Either something burns out or bends.
The steering rack might also give you problems. I think I had three. They are not too expensive second hand, but seem to leak hydraulic fluid quite readily. If the steering squeals at you, top up the fluid and keep it topped up. You are not likely to suffer catastrophic failure, and can drive the car while you arrange to get it sorted.
The other thing that encouraged me to swap to my Continental GT was the electrolytic action between aluminium and iron/steel. It was getting out of control, and sorting it looked expensive.
I am sure you will have great fun with your Bentley. The Bentley Drivers Club have members in Australia, and they lay on exceptional events - like Perth to Sydney (2010) and Perth to Darwin (2011). Not sure what else, but look at the club website.
Best wishes,
David.
If your car has active ride, the shock absorbers are very expensive - say £1000 each in the UK. You might be able to do away with the active ride and fit Bilsteins, but this is a specialist area where you need to take advice from somebody who knows.
The windscreen wiper rack is very sensitive to being set up properly - that is, if it's a two stage operation, where when you turn the wipers off, first they stop, then move down the screen into the park position. The microswitches that control these operations need to be in the right position, or else the motor continues to run when the mechanism has reached the end of its' travels. Either something burns out or bends.
The steering rack might also give you problems. I think I had three. They are not too expensive second hand, but seem to leak hydraulic fluid quite readily. If the steering squeals at you, top up the fluid and keep it topped up. You are not likely to suffer catastrophic failure, and can drive the car while you arrange to get it sorted.
The other thing that encouraged me to swap to my Continental GT was the electrolytic action between aluminium and iron/steel. It was getting out of control, and sorting it looked expensive.
I am sure you will have great fun with your Bentley. The Bentley Drivers Club have members in Australia, and they lay on exceptional events - like Perth to Sydney (2010) and Perth to Darwin (2011). Not sure what else, but look at the club website.
Best wishes,
David.
It is listed on the RREC website database as a 1989 model but the owner does not appear to be a member.
The DVLA also lists the car as 1989:
Date of Liability; 01 03 2013
Date of First Registration; 04 01 1989
Year of Manufacture; 1989
Cylinder Capacity (cc); 6750cc
CO2 Emissions; Not Available
Fuel Type; PETROL
Export Marker; N
Vehicle Status; Licence Not Due
Vehicle Colour; GREEN
Vehicle Type Approval; Not Available
I hope this doesn't affect your ability to import.
The DVLA also lists the car as 1989:
Date of Liability; 01 03 2013
Date of First Registration; 04 01 1989
Year of Manufacture; 1989
Cylinder Capacity (cc); 6750cc
CO2 Emissions; Not Available
Fuel Type; PETROL
Export Marker; N
Vehicle Status; Licence Not Due
Vehicle Colour; GREEN
Vehicle Type Approval; Not Available
I hope this doesn't affect your ability to import.
Thankfully they go off the build date rather than first registration date or model year for the import approval so this is about the latest car I could bring in.
Build dated as 13/12/1988 so it just sneaks in to the pre 1st Jan 1989 rules. Which reminds me, I need to get on and order a copy of the construction record from the RREC to be able to prove it.
Build dated as 13/12/1988 so it just sneaks in to the pre 1st Jan 1989 rules. Which reminds me, I need to get on and order a copy of the construction record from the RREC to be able to prove it.
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