Lot 024: 1992 BENTLEY TURBO RL

Introduced at the 1982 Geneva Motor Show, the Mulsanne Turbo signalled a revival in the winged 'B's fortunes. Somewhat raffish when compared to its Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit sibling, the Turbo breathed new life into Bentley sales. Indeed in some ways, this glorious automotive wolf in (large) sheep's clothing can be credited with inspiring Bentley's victorious return to Le Mans. With some 300bhp courtesy of its force-fed 6.75 litre V8, the Mulsanne Turbo was reputedly capable of an easy 135mph and 0-60mph in under seven seconds. Although, for those not wishing to indulge in such prodigious performance, its smooth automatic transmission and supple independent suspension also allowed for more dignified progress. Debuting in March 1985, the evolutionary Turbo R provided an altogether more focused driving experience. Benefiting from an uprated torque converter, more horsepower, stiffer anti-roll bars and firmer damping, its handling drew considerable praise from the contemporary motoring press. Enjoying greater rear legroom, the long wheelbase RL variant is thought to have accounted for some 1,211 sales before the second generation Turbo R / RL arrived in 1994. Finished in silver with blue leather upholstery (piped in grey), this particular example is variously described by the vendor as being in "very good" (engine, electrical equipment, chassis, bodywork, paintwork, wheels / tyres) or "excellent" (four-speed automatic transmission, interior trim) condition. Reportedly "a second car" that "gets polished and pampered more than driven", 'J48 ATV' is further understood to have been "used mainly for holiday weekend outings (once to Scotland) and the occasional wedding over the last couple of years". The subject of a documented speedometer change, the Bentley has covered some 86,000 miles from new. Equipped with blue carpets / overmats, electric seats (memory front) / windows / mirrors, power steering, CD player, cruise control, rear picnic tables, compass, reversing sensors and a recently rejuvenated air-conditioning system (new compressor, dryer, gas etc), its interior is typically luxurious. Treated to an automatic gearbox overhaul in August 2006 as well as being "waxoyled and serviced approximately 500 miles ago", 'J48 ATV' is offered for sale with "very good service history", MOT certificate valid until October 2007 and road tax until September 2007.