There are certain key elements of a Bentley or Rolls-Royce which, to marque purists, are considered essential to the formula: there’s the imposing road presence, the wafting ride, the sheer acreage of wood and leather, and perhaps most importantly of all, the presence of the venerable 6.75-litre V8. This iconic motor sat at the core of so many of these marques’ most desirable models, offering a superb duality of character: when you want to cruise on part-throttle, or shimmer effortlessly through town, it remains mousey-quiet, surfing its epic wave of torque to ensure that progress is serene and satisfying. But bury the throttle into the deep-pile carpet in an unseemly and un-Jeeves-like fashion, and you’ll find that the motor has a voice – a growly, gargly one.
This engine, then, is the beating heart of the Bentley Mulsanne S you see before you. And this is an interesting model in the manufacturer’s history: the Mulsanne range as a whole was in production from 1980-92, the Rolls-Royce V8 having its twin SU carbs swapped out for fuel injection from 1986 onwards. But the Mulsanne S, on sale from 1987, was essentially a Turbo R without the turbo. Now, a Mulsanne Turbo had been offered from 1982 and this was ultimately replaced by the superior Turbo R, but the particularly interesting and relevant thing for us to consider here is that the chassis upgrades for the Turbo R also carried over to the Mulsanne S. As any Bentley aficionado will tell you, the ‘R’ stood for ‘roadholding’, and the dampers and anti-roll bars were upgraded to suit the Turbo R’s extra power. What does this mean for the Mulsanne S? Quite simply, it means you get all the opulent luxury of the regular Mulsanne, along with a more controlled chassis setup, upgraded interior, nicer wheels, the whole shebang. So it’s a car that ticks a lot of boxes. And with just 38 of them registered on the UK’s roads today, it’s also a tantalisingly rare one.
All Bentleys have tales to tell. Some of them are keen to wear their stories on their sleeves, while others are a little more modest and demure. This car is the latter; we don’t know a huge amount about its past, but what we do know is that it’s all complete, pleasantly functional, neatly presented, and enjoyable to drive. The current keeper has owned it for a short time, having bought it with the aim of ticking a further machine off the life-goal wish-list. As a collector with a large number of 1980s and ’90s modern classics in his possession, he takes a taster-menu approach to ownership, trying a little of everything he fancies before passing it on to the next enthusiast. With this in mind, it’s now time for the Bentley to find a new home for its next set of luxurious adventures.
The car comes with its original books and manuals in the correct brown wallet, including the owners handbook and supplement and a sales/service guide. The V5 is present, showing it to have always been a UK-registered car, and there are also a couple of recent receipts – one from September 2020 for a new water pump, and another from October for a new set of spark plugs.
The inside of a 1980s Bentley is always an impressive place to be, and this one is no different. There’s a unique smell generated by timeworn quality leather, and this classy old bruiser has it in spades. The seats are all in very good condition with just a gentle smidge of the patina of ages, and it’s extremely pleasing to find a pair of period car-phones still installed with their retro curly wires – one between the front seats, the other hidden away in the rear armrest. The wood trim on the dash is excellent, with no signs of lacquer peel or cracking; the wood door cappings are similarly good, with just a little cracking to the lacquer on the top of the panel on the rear nearside door. The front windows raise and lower as they should; there’s an issue with the rear windows lowering correctly, but they do sit closed and secure.
The carpets are all in good condition, complete with rear footrests, and it’s interesting to note just how many courtesy lights there are – across the roof, in the footwells and doors, hidden behind the sun visors – all of which are in working order. The dials all work correctly, there’s no issues with the switchgear, and everything is present and correct – including the original cigar lighters. Some owner in the car’s past has fitted aftermarket chrome ‘B’ emblems to the headrests, although these should be easy to delete if the new owner chooses.
Inside the boot, everything is dry and correct; the carpet could do with a clean, but that’s an easy job and the carpet itself is in good condition.
The body of this car is beautifully presented, having enjoyed a full repaint in its original shade of grey – the only blemish we could find was a small thumb-size dent on the offside rear corner just above the light cluster. Aside from that, it’s just as impressive and imposing as a machine of this nature ought to be, and it certainly gets heads turning on the high street.
The Turbo R-style wheels are all in good condition with just a little kerbing to the outer rim of one of them; they’re all fitted with correct-spec Avon Turbosteel tyres with tasteful whitewalls.
The windscreen has a crack on the lowermost corner on the driver’s side, but otherwise the window glass is all in good order. The nose of the car has a chrome badge bar fitted, with a classic AA badge on the grille. Both bumpers are in good un-dented condition, and the exterior chrome is all good. A fun detail of this model is that the Bentley badge on the bootlid lifts up to reveal the boot lock, and this is all working correctly. The panel gaps are all nice and even, the doors close with a reassuringly weighty thunk, and the overall impression is of a solid and tidy example of a rare British classic.
The primary purpose of a Bentley is to waft in splendour, and this is largely thanks to the hydropneumatic suspension system that Rolls-Royce and Bentley licensed from Citroën. It’s a system which requires correct maintenance, and this does appear to be the case here as the car sits neatly level as it should, and rides with a deliciously cosseting feel. The owner also reports no issues with the steering or brakes, everything doing just what it’s supposed to.
The mighty engine is, of course, the Mulsanne’s party piece, and we find this one in fine fettle: while the service history is unproven, it’s feels like a perfectly happy motor, starting easily and idling evenly; it runs silently through town, and happily lifts up it skirts and bolts for the horizon when the taps are opened. The gearbox shifts smoothly without any unpleasant jolts, and there are no noises from the diff. As far as we can tell, this appears to be a very sweetly-running Bentley indeed.
The Appeal
The appeal of a Mulsanne S today is very different to the appeal of a Mulsanne S when it was new. Back then, this was an expression of wealth, of a taste for opulence; a car bought by those who appreciate the finer things in life and have the means to pay through the nose to get the best of the best. Today, however, cars like this represent something of a bargain. Sure, they’re not the cheapest cars to run and maintain compared to, say a Ford Fiesta, but it obviously doesn’t feel like a Ford Fiesta either. The interior is frankly magnificent – a plutocrat’s palace on wheels – while the combination of luxurious ride, eager performance on demand, and classic good looks is truly compelling. It really is a heck of a lot of car for the money.
Notice to bidders
Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing. Please ensure you are satisfied with the vehicle description and all information provided before placing a bid.
As is normal for most auctions, this vehicle is sold as seen, and therefore the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. All bids are legally binding once placed. Any winning bidder who withdraws from a sale, is subject to our bidders fee charge. Please see our FAQs and T&C's for further information. Viewings of vehicles are encouraged, but entirely at the sellers discretion.
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NO RESERVE! - 1989 Bentley Mulsanne S
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