UNIQUE QUALITIES

Plastow knew that Bentley had to offer something that Rolls-Royce did not, and identified it early on as a sporting quality. Better performance and better handling – something to make buyers sit up and take notice.

Work began in the mid-1970s on what was both unthinkable yet obvious – a turbocharged derivative of the existing 6.75-litre V8 engine. Unthinkable, because only that Tim Birkin chap had tried forced induction on a Bentley, and WO Bentley had not approved. And obvious, because with no resources to develop an all-new engine, further development of the existing one was the only option.

Plastow’s thinking was right on target. High-performance luxury saloons became fashionable during the 1970s, led by demand from the Middle East for big, heavily-customised Mercedes-Benz and BMW models. Mercedes had already grasped the mood of the market in 1975 with its 450 SEL 6.9 – a factorybuilt road-rocket with all the trappings of a luxury car. Others would follow.

The turbocharged Bentley, then, was fully in tune with its times when it arrived in 1982, badged as the Mulsanne Turbo. There were sharp intakes of breath in some quarters, and whoops of joy in others. RollsRoyce famously didn’t reveal power figures but those given to the German authorities for homologation purposes revealed that the Bentley Mulsanne Turbo had 328bhp at an unstressed 3800rpm and a massive 450 lb ft of torque at 2450rpm.

It went as well as those figures suggested, too, taking just seven seconds to hit 60mph from rest and charging on to 135mph. It wasn’t quite as good at tackling corners; that part of Bentley’s transformation would have to wait.

It was not long in coming; stiffened springs and firmer dampers gave the 1984 Bentley Eight a more youthful appeal and an entry-level price that was more attractive to new customers. The final incarnation reached the market in 1986 when the Bentley Turbo R combined a version of that new suspension with the turbocharged engine. ‘Never have I travelled in comparable comfort and style at such speeds,’ gushed Sports Car

International magazine’s road test.