PH Heroes: Bentley Turbo R
The Bentley Turbo R redefines the concept of a performance car, writes Ollie Stallwood
How do you define a performance car? Probably high-revving, lightweight and compact would be a good place to start. But what about a different approach? The Bentley Turbo R is the kind of car that turns perceptions on their head, a huge two-tonne monster that seemingly has none of the common attributes you would apply to a sporting car but yet is a performance icon.
This is a car that not so much delicately weaves down a twisty back road, instead just steam-rollering it flat. I’d heard a lot about the Turbo R, how it is filled with surprises that belie its huge bulk and land barge proportions. Big sporting saloons with mega-torque are everywhere these days but the Turbo R first appeared in March, 1985, and for those days the figures must have been even more impressive.
It had the 6.75-litre V8 from the Mulsanne Turbo but gained Bosch KE-Jetronic electronic fuel injection, giving it a power output of around 300bhp and over 400lb ft of torque (no official figures were provided). This equated to 0-60mph in 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 143mph with a red line somewhere in the region of 4,500rpm. But in a way squeezing a load of power out of the engine was the easy bit – it later grew to 386bhp – but the hard bit was making sure this 2,252kg leviathan went around a bend without its well-heeled owner ending up in the brambles.
Bentley went to work on the chassis and transformed it. The engineers increased anti-roll bar rates by 60% on the front and 80% on the back and uprated the dampers. A Panhard rod was also introduced which reduced side-to-side movement in the corners. The car even got alloy wheels – a first for Bentley. With prices for Turbo Rs now dropping below £10K the cars are becoming very affordable and have always had something of a cult following. I wanted to try one to find out just how sporting a huge chunk of metal and walnut veneer could be.
I called up the guys at Driving Spirit (www.drivingspirit.co.uk) in Basingstoke knowing they have a mint example on their fleet. When I arrive at the premises the Turbo R is waiting outside. It’s certainly imposing, or should I say absolutely huge. Not huge compared to say a modern day Phantom but big all the same. There is something reassuring about the shape, it harks back to a time when the makers of these cars really could say they were the best in the world, a classic shape that seemed to be around for ever.
Driving Spirit owner Steve Marshall assures me that despite its size the Turbo R can be surprisingly swift and can be hussled down even fairly narrow back roads. I’m looking forward to finding out and once I have settled into the beautifully made interior, which has predictably a rather high driving position, I turn the key. Of course it is an auto, but there is a ‘sport’ mode, which I engage immediately.
Pulling out onto the streets of Basingstoke the Turbo R wafts, leaving you to admire the opulent surroundings and almost become a little detached from the real world. But to find out a Bentley is comfortable and soothing is like discovering Simon Cowell’s trousers are too high – we all knew that already. I pull onto the A33 and once the traffic disappears push down the accelerator. The almost silent V8 emits a muffled muscle car roar and pulls the Turbo R down the road at an alarming rate. In fact it takes a moment to realise you are no longer floating around in a moving boardroom and in fact you are picking up some serious speed. The car redlines somewhere around 4,500rpm but so huge is the wave of torque that this is all it needs. The Turbo R really is very quick for what it is. The steering is lighter than it could be and the brakes are not exactly progressive but it is good fun crushing miles in this thing.
I peel off onto a narrower B road and figure this is where the Turbo R must prove itself. True enough it starts to feel far smaller than it actually is and hunkers down nicely when you throw it into a bend. I would hazard a guess that with enough room the back could be coaxed into play although only a brave man would try to catch two tonnes with his fingertip. Dial in some more power through the bend and the outside rear squats, with the chassis feeling strangely balanced and predictable. It is an incredible experience and one I would recommend everyone try once. The best bit is when I pull into a golf club in hope of grabbing some nice pictures and instead of being greeted with suspicious stares no-one bats an eyelid. It could be a useful tool for both back roads and opening doors then.
On the way back I let the car do the work, fiddling around with the various switches covering the dashboard. This is where the Turbo R converts back to luxury mode and does the job of getting you there as smoothly as possible. It has a dual personality and although it may not be the sharpest performance tool there is no question it is extremely quick. If you like your performance cars to do things differently the Turbo R is certainly worth a look.
I've loved the idea of these since I found I was a bit of a big engined barge fan. I remember having a hilarious race with an old chap in one a few years back, it went like this.
M6 toll, about 10pm, clear night.
Me - See Bentley turbo in next booth, do a quick launch and a few Nigel Mansell gear changes in my Tdi Golf.
Bentley - Old chap sees my efforts, squeezes another 2mm of throttle
First the back end dropped a little
Then the front end raised a little
Then he sucked the horizon closer to him and buggered off into the distance like the Saturn 5 had been fitted to a stately home.
Wonderful toys.
Dave!
Whilst the Conti R was my favourite for looks it was neither as much fun, refined or regal.
Apropos RR, watching them being built was a very sobering experience indeed; how they ever made any money is beyond me.
I was absolutely gobsmacked by the speeds we achieved in such a big heavy car.
It was bloody good on the B roads too, he raced a motorbike when I was in it and I think the biker was quite suprised at how quick it was.
Of course the luxury that comes with the car is amazing, I felt like a king in it.
I've always wanted one, I just love the presence and style they have.
If i didn't live in the Islington, Hackney borders in London i'd have one like a shot.
Maybe one day................
I've loved the idea of these since I found I was a bit of a big engined barge fan. I remember having a hilarious race with an old chap in one a few years back, it went like this.
M6 toll, about 10pm, clear night.
Me - See Bentley turbo in next booth, do a quick launch and a few Nigel Mansell gear changes in my Tdi Golf.
Bentley - Old chap sees my efforts, squeezes another 2mm of throttle
First the back end dropped a little
Then the front end raised a little
Then he sucked the horizon closer to him and buggered off into the distance like the Saturn 5 had been fitted to a stately home.
Wonderful toys.
Dave!
These cars are like superfast lorries!
Don't buy from a dodgy 'specialist' who claims to be ex-Jack Barclay and turns out to be Thatchams answer to Arthur Daley.
Do'nt ignore smells,it might be pas fluid dripping on a hot exhaust manifold(saw the smoke just in time!)or it could be anti-freeze dripping into the fuse box and a/c control box(did,nt investigate and parked in garage for 3-4 weeks-£3,000!!!)
Do use it at least once a week.
Do wash under the arches and sills in winter.
Do put super plus petrol in it,lets face it at 12/15mpg a few pence isn't going to make any difference.
Do use that mid-range shove at every available oppourtunity.
Do remember it is going to take just that bit extra pressure on the brake pedal than you think,don't you just love that 'Oh Sh~#*' feeling.
And yes it is easy to drift the back end in the wet (think outsize 5 series rather than Jag XJ i.e no lurches and the rack does'nt weight up so much you can't move it!
To sum up owning a old Turbo R (mine was 89 pre active ride) is a bit like an affair-Exhilarating highs and a smug feeling of well being whilst at the same time costing a fortune and causing you to wake up at 4a.m with guilt and terror induced panic.....(I would imagine)
Goes like something off a shovel.Favourite is the tolls at Dartford bridge.
Insanely large and comfy. Huge road presence (mine black with black interior, red pinstripe).
Utterly irreplaceable.
Waiting for PMC to sort out the "Blackpool Project" Cosworth/Bentley engines made for sultan of brunei. Then might get 560bhp and 800lbft of torque. Or thereabouts. "Very much more than adequate" in bentley-speak.
Oh, and the 5 day chauffeur training course at the factory is huge fun. As is the supplemental invite-only 3day antiterrorist course.
BG came on a recent Shropshire run-out, and never mind the Bentley looking spectacular, at one point we were all on the Nesscliff by-pass and I was accelerating nicely past 0.80 leptons in the Rolls.
BG roared past me like I was standing still.
A prodigious sight in my wing mirror it was
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