Bentley Mulsanne (1980–1992)
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The Bentley Mulsanne is a large (performance) luxury saloon produced by
Bentley Motors Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North London, and became widely ...
from 1980 until 1992, though derivative models including the Continental T and
Azure Azure may refer to: Color * Azure (color), a hue of blue ** Azure (heraldry) ** Shades of azure, shades and variations Arts and media * ''Azure'' (Art Farmer and Fritz Pauer album), 1987 * Azure (Gary Peacock and Marilyn Crispell album), 2013 * ...
continued in production into the 2000s. Contrary to its predecessors, the Bentley Mulsanne was given an actual name instead of a letter, but otherwise started like just another rebadged Rolls-Royce model, this time copied from their Silver Spirit. However, with the launch of the 'Brooklands' version, and the 1982 Mulsanne Turbo – with 50 percent more horsepower – the Mulsanne did start the rebuild of an appealing individual Bentley brand image.


Name

The Mulsanne was named after the Mulsanne straight, a section at the
Circuit de la Sarthe The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe (after the 1906 French Grand Prix triangle circuit) located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, is a semi-permanent motorsport race course, chiefly known as the venue for the 24 H ...
in which refers to the Bentley's success at the
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
between 1924 and 1930.


Models


Mulsanne

In 1980, the
Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and its slightly stretched version, the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II, are full-size luxury cars produced by British automaker Rolls-Royce in various forms from 1965 to 1980. It was the first of the marque to use ...
and the
Bentley T-series The Bentley T-series is a luxury automobile produced by Bentley Motors Limited in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwe ...
were replaced by the RR Silver Spirit and, as with prior models, a Bentley-badged equivalent. This time however, it was given a name: the "Mulsanne". This was derived from Bentley's motorsport history, which included five victories at the
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
between 1924 and 1930. The '
Mulsanne Straight The Mulsanne Straight (, "Straight Line of Les Hunaudières") is the name used in English for a formerly long straight of the Circuit de la Sarthe around which the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race takes place. Since 1990, the straight is interrup ...
' is the stretch of Le Mans' race-course where cars reach their highest speeds. The Mulsanne initially shared the same carburetted Rolls-Royce
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. Origins The first known V8 was the Antoinette, designed by Léon Levavasseur, a ...
with aluminium alloy cylinder heads with the Silver Spirit, carried over from the Silver Shadow II and Bentley T2. In 1982 however, a turbocharged version with much more power and torque was also introduced – for Bentley only – in the Mulsanne Turbo. From 1986, the two SU
carburettors A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter) is a device used by a gasoline 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 Ventu ...
were replaced by Bosch
fuel injection Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines. All c ...
on all cars. All Mulsannes use a 3-speed automatic transmission.


Mulsanne Turbo

The Mulsanne Turbo was launched at the
Geneva Motor Show The Geneva International Motor Show was an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show was hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon was organised b ...
in 1982 and produced until 1985. A
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 ...
turbocharger In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into th ...
provided a 50% increase in engine power – something not seen on a Bentley in half a century. The interior sported the usual highly polished, walnut veneered fascia, blemish-free leather upholstery, and pure wool for the carpets and headlining. A total of 498 standard wheelbase and 18 long-wheelbase Mulsanne Turbos were built, until they were replaced by the Bentley Turbo R in 1985, which used a
fuel injected Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines. All co ...
version of the same 6 litre V8 engine since 1987. A British racing green Turbo has been used in the two James Bond novels ''
Role of Honour ''Role of Honour'', first published in 1984, was the fourth novel by John Gardner featuring Ian Fleming's secret agent, James Bond. Carrying the Glidrose Publications copyright, it was first published in the United Kingdom by Jonathan Cape and ...
'' and ''
Nobody Lives for Ever ''Nobody Lives for Ever'' (published in American editions as ''Nobody Lives Forever''), first published in 1986, was the fifth novel by John Gardner featuring Ian Fleming's secret agent, James Bond. Carrying the Glidrose Publications copyrig ...
'' by John Gardner.


Mulsanne S

The Mulsanne S was introduced in 1987. Although this model lacked its
turbocharger In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into th ...
, many of its other details were similar to the Turbo R, including that car's alloy wheels and interior, and the suspension was firmed up for a more sporting ride. The rectangular headlamps from the 1980s gave way to quad round units for 1989, and the model was produced until 1992.


Mulsanne V16

The
BMW Goldfisch V16 The BMW Goldfisch is a SOHC 32-valve V16 6.7-litre prototype automotive piston engine based on the BMW M70 V12 engine. Development Development started in the late 1980s. The engine was built to demonstrate the maximum potential of the small c ...
engine was tested in the Bentley Mulsanne as a potential "upgrade" from the turbocharged V8 engine. Unlike the
BMW 7 Series The BMW 7 Series is a full-size luxury car, luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker BMW since 1977. It is the successor to the BMW E3 "New Six" sedan and is now in its seventh generation. The 7 Series is BMW's flagship car ...
, the engine fit in the bay with room for radiator and ancillaries but it was never sold to the public.


Derivative models

The Mulsanne was based on the
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 ...
/ Silver Spur introduced at the same time. It would be the basis for all Bentley models until the 1998 introduction of the Arnage.


Specifications


Production


External links


Bentley-Talk: Exclusive Bentley Community and Forum


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bentley Mulsanne (1980-1992)
Mulsanne Mulsanne () is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. Population Motor racing The Circuit de la Sarthe, which is used in the sports car endurance race 24 Hours of Le Mans, features the l ...
1990s cars Cars introduced in 1980 Cars discontinued in 1992 sk:Bentley Turbo R