Thirty Years Ago

Thirty years ago this week.

The new Bentley Mulsanne Turbo.

The start of something good. REALLY good...

 

 

Here's the 'Motor' front cover one year later:

 

 

 

Wow, sixty two thousand POUNDS in 1983!

 

The car that started the turnaround and separate identity of the Bentley marque.

 

 

 

No longer just a rebadged Rolls-Royce.

 

 

 

Of the previous generation T series/Shadow II models (the SY) , just 567 Bentleys (including the nine LWBs) compared to 1,560 Silver Shadow and Silver Wraiths. The last of the line cars had dwindled to three percent Bentley.

The Bentley name was dying..

The Spirit/Mulsanne (SZ) series was just as sad as the very early 1980s Bentley output was down to single digit percentages.

 

This was the car that would become the supercar Turbo R.

This would change the Bentley name forever...

The world's fastest four door saloon...

 

 

Suddenly everybody had to have one.

 

Here's a very early Turbo R with rectangular headlamps.

 

 

Then we got the trademark 'Bentley Only' double round lamps:

(although a very small number of Spirits and Spurs do have these too)

 

 

This car continued for a long time - up to 1998.

 

 

 

 

That's when it was just perfect.

 

 

What a masterpiece.

 

Evolution at its best.

Time flies when you're having fun...

 

 

 

(Posted by David Irvine)