The Bentley Turbo R is a high-performance automobile which was produced by
Bentley Motors Limited
Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...
from 1985 to 1999. The "R" stood for "roadholding", to set it apart from its predecessor.
It initially inherited the
turbocharged
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
engine from the
Mulsanne Turbo and also sported a retuned suspension and wider tyres on alloy wheels, a first for a Bentley. From the 1987 model year (20,000 series chassis numbers), however, the Turbo R's
V8 engine
A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.
The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and us ...
was retuned with
fuel injection
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All comp ...
for added
torque
In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...
. ''
Motor Trend
''MotorTrend'' is an American automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, and designated the first Car of the Year, also in 1949.
Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles published ''MotorTrend'' until 19 ...
'' called the Turbo R "the first Bentley in decades deserving of the famous name" in their review of the car on its introduction to the United States in 1989.
History
The suspension changes, though seemingly subtle, transformed the soft and less than well-controlled ride of the Mulsanne Turbo into that of a real performer.
[Wood, p. 142] Development on improving handling had already begun when Mike Dunn was appointed engineering director in Crewe in February 1983, but instead of the proposed ten percent increase in roll stiffness, he demanded 50%. This goal was met by upping the
anti-roll bar
An anti-roll bar (roll bar, anti-sway bar, sway bar, stabilizer bar) is a part of many automobile suspensions that helps reduce the body roll of a vehicle during fast cornering or over road irregularities. It connects opposite (left/right) wheels ...
rates by 100 percent in front and 60 percent in the rear, and by increasing the
damping
Damping is an influence within or upon an oscillatory system that has the effect of reducing or preventing its oscillation. In physical systems, damping is produced by processes that dissipate the energy stored in the oscillation. Examples incl ...
. A
panhard rod
A Panhard rod (also called Panhard bar, track bar, or track rod) is a suspension link that provides lateral location of the axle. Originally invented by the Panhard automobile company of France in the early twentieth century, this device has been ...
to anchor the rear
sub-frame was also introduced, reducing side-to-side movement in corners.
Spring rates remained the same as on the Mulsanne.
![Bentley Turbo R 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Bentley_Turbo_R_1.jpg)
Although official figures were never provided by Rolls-Royce, Motor Trend estimated power output at with of
torque
In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...
. Priced at
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
195,000 in the US market, the Turbo R slotted above the
Bentley Mulsanne S and
Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit
The Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit is a full-size luxury car produced by Rolls-Royce Motors, in Crewe, England, from 1980 to 1997. It was the first model in the SZ series. The Silver Spur is a long-wheelbase version of the Silver Spirit, produced ...
but $39,000 below the
Rolls-Royce Silver Spur
The Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit is a full-size luxury car produced by Rolls-Royce Motors, in Crewe, England, from 1980 to 1997. It was the first model in the SZ series. The Silver Spur is a long-wheelbase version of the Silver Spirit, produced ...
.
![1990 Bentley Turbo R - Flickr - The Car Spy (12)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/1990_Bentley_Turbo_R_-_Flickr_-_The_Car_Spy_%2812%29.jpg)
The Turbo R was sold alongside the Mulsanne Turbo for a brief moment, but the Mulsanne was taken out of production in 1985. In October 1986, for the 1987 model year, the Turbo R received anti-lock brakes and new
Bosch MK-Motronic
fuel injection
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All comp ...
to replace the
Solex Solex may refer to:
* Solex (musician), Dutch musician
* Solex Carburetor, a French manufacturer of carburetors and the powered bicycle VéloSoleX
* Solex College, a former private for-profit college in Chicago, Illinois
* Solex Unit, a fictiona ...
carburetor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...
s. Other modifications carried out at the same time included new, slimmer sports seats and a higher rear axle ratio.
In mid-1988 (MY 1989) changes to the appearance were made, introducing twin round headlamps and a bigger front spoiler.
[Wood, p. 143] Around the turn of the year between 1991 and 1992, GM's
4L80-E four-speed automatic transmission replaced the long running three-speed
Turbo Hydramatic 400 throughout the Bentley/Rolls-Royce lineup, including the Turbo R.
[Wood, p. 144]
New Turbo R
A "New" Turbo R model was introduced in 1995 for the 1996 model year. Changes included
Zytek
Gibson Technology is an automotive and motorsport company based at Repton, Derbyshire, England. It was founded by Bill Gibson as "Zytek Engineering" in 1981.
In 1981 Gibson founded the "Zytech Group" with two main divisions: Zytek Automotive, b ...
fuel injection and appearance modifications. There was also a special version for the German market, the "Turbo R Sport", which featured the
Continental T's sporty alloys and carbon-fibre, rather than walnut, panels inside.
[Wood, p. 146]
Turbo S
In 1995, the Bentley Turbo S was announced as a strictly limited model, with envisaged production as fewer than 100 units. Effectively a stop-gap model before the introduction of the
Bentley Arnage
The Bentley Arnage is a full-size luxury car manufactured and marketed by Bentley Motors in Crewe, England, from 1998 to 2009. The Arnage and its Rolls-Royce-branded sibling, the Silver Seraph, were introduced in the spring of 1998. They were ...
, just 60 units were produced making it the rarest of the Bentley SZ Series of cars, distributed across selected European, Middle Eastern and Asian markets and customers only. The engine termed a ''Blackpool'' version used Bosch Motronic fuel injection and digital ignition derived from
Formula 1
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
technology, and with a larger exhaust driven Garrett AirResearch turbocharger with intercooler. It had a power output of . The Blackpool engine was also fitted to twelve
Bentley Continental S
Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...
, and to three special build
Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit S. The car was fitted with a viscous differential, and with both new 255/55WR17 tyres and traction control fitted, permitted a top speed of .
[Wood, p. 145]
In 1996 production of the short wheelbase Turbo R ended, leaving only the model hitherto sold as the Turbo RL - now known simply as the Turbo R. For 1998, the Turbo R was replaced by the sportier yet Turbo RT.
Turbo RT
![Turbo RT](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Turbo_RT.jpg)
The Bentley Turbo RT was the last and most expensive of the Turbo R line. The Bentley RT came with a version of the 6.75 L V8 engine, as used in the
Continental T, which is boosted by a single
Garrett AiResearch
Garrett AiResearch was a manufacturer of turboprop engines and turbochargers, and a pioneer in numerous aerospace technologies. It was previously known as Aircraft Tool and Supply Company, Garrett Supply Company, AiResearch Manufacturing Compa ...
T04 turbocharger and has a Zytek EMS3 engine management system. This was developed using Formula 1 racing technology, differing from earlier models with the 'Motronic' system. The RT is visually differentiated from other Bentley Turbo R models by its sport wheels, radiator mesh grille and colour-coded bumpers with bright mesh inserts. Performance was sufficient: with a top speed limited to , the ultra-luxurious Turbo RT was as fast as the sporting German luxury saloons of the time.
The car's base price was US$211,600, or roughly US$65,000 more than the Turbo R.
The Turbo RT was produced during 1997 and 1998 only, with 252 units produced. It was essentially a "runout special", an effort to sell off the last SZ-style bodies before the introduction of the Arnage. A few even rarer editions of the RT were made:
The Bentley Turbo RT Olympian: in 1998, London dealer Jack Barclay agreed to have a small number of cars built to incorporate many special features. These are probably the rarest version of the RT - although not officially recognised as such, therefore the RT Mulliner commands a much higher premium. These were sold as the Bentley Turbo RT Olympian. They can be identified by the five-spoke alloy wheels (borrowed from the 'Mulliner' version) and the "Olympian" boot badge. It is estimated that only four examples of this version were ever built.
![Bentley Turbo RT](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Bentley_Turbo_RT.jpg)
The Bentley Turbo RT Mulliner: The
Mulliner version, available only by special order for the 1998 model year, was even more exclusive and expensive.
[Wood, p. 147] It boasts a engine with a torque output of 634 lbft (861 Nm): this was achieved by developing a new compressor for the turbocharger, remapping the engine management system, and modifying the air intake system. Visually, Mulliners have more aerodynamic, rounded bumpers with prominent venting and often foglamps, as well as flared wings to accommodate the wider track and larger 18-inch alloy wheels, sitting on low-profile 255/55 tyres. Each car was built to individual specifications, with many sporting side and bonnet vents and also the smaller Mulliner rear windscreen. One popular feature in Mulliners is a prominent speedometer for the rear passengers.
Just 56 Mulliner editions were built (all in 1998), of which 17 are right-hand drive. Seven of the Mulliner editions built are to standard wheelbase specifications, and 49 are on the lengthened wheelbase.
Production
* Original Turbo R: 5864
** Short wheelbase: 4653
** Long wheelbase: 1211
* New Turbo R: 1366
** Short wheelbase: 543
** Long wheelbase: 823
* Turbo RT: 252
**Olympian: 4
**Mulliner Edition SWB: 7
**Mulliner Edition LWB: 49
References
External links
Bentley Turbo R (1985-1995)
{{Bentley timeline 1998 to date
Turbo R
Sedans
Cars introduced in 1985
1990s cars