Out & About Summer 2019

Out&About lifestyle

The Bentley Mulsanne is luxury on speed say MAURICE AND ANNETTE HARDY MOTORS

Best bits: perfect history lesson

B entley is one of the most revered names in British motoring history, but might never have become so had it not been for rival Rolls-Royce. One hundred years ago Walter Owen “W.O.” Bentley set up his firm and within a decade the name was engraved in the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race with a string of victories. But it was a success that broke Bentley financially, despite his Bentley Boy racers ploughing their own money into his team, and by 1931 Rolls-Royce was in ownership against Bentley’s wishes. Bentley left in 1935 to join Lagonda. Bentley’s chagrin is understandable – the cars that bore his name became nothing more than Rolls-Royce clones at slightly cheaper prices because they did not wear the Palladian grille. Not until the 1990s did Bentley really sprint in a different direction with the launch of the Mulsanne version of the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit. It brought increasingly sporting motoring to the world of luxo barges and today it would be hard to beat the experience of piloting the Mulsanne Speed, which feels big enough from the inside to be a plane, although from some aspects the exterior appears compact in a Bentley sort of way. Compared with a modern Rolls-Royce, the Mulsanne looks more rounded, with lines that echo the standard steel saloons

of the 50s and into the mid-60s, when the T1 version of the R-R Silver Shadow launched. There’s a hint of front wings cradling the narrowing bonnet, crowned by the winged B emblem, while at the rear the prominent boot of the S Series cars is recalled. The sporting past is also paid homage in one small detail – the needles on the speedo and rev counter swing in an arc from right to left across the bottom of the dial, when most expect the needle to swing from left to right over the top. But there is also a digital readout between the dials, which can then be largely ignored. One of the car’s outstanding features remains hidden – a glorious V8 engine that celebrates 60 years in production this year. Once threatened with extinction, Volkswagen, the modern-day masters of Bentley, realised that this gem was worth preserving. The engine has never been silent, but has always been serene. When we first visited Crewe 40 years ago, we stood next to a test bed running perhaps half a dozen of these engines at the equivalent of 50mph in top gear. They were unsilenced, with the exhaust merely piped out of the roof, yet we were able to hold a normal conversation. The twin-turbo V8 of the Mulsanne Speed now emits a muffled growl.

Car: Bentley Mulsanne Speed Does it fit your ego... 0-62mph: 4.8secs Top speed: 190mph PS: 537 @ 4,000rpm Torque: 1,100Nm @ 1,750rpm

and your wallet... Price: £255,800 Combined: 18.8mpg CO2 emissions: 342g/km

Punch the throttle and the seat will punch you back. The car, weighing 3.2 tonnes fully laden, will reach 60mph in 4.8s and has a top speed of 190mph. Yet it will still return 24mpg driven sensibly on British roads. The car has 21-inch wheels with 35 profile tyres, yet its self-levelling suspension irons out imperfections and their width ensure you merely pass over potholes. Bentley’s superlative blend of luxury and performance is unmatched by others. You can also quaff chilled champagne from the £8,310 fridge containing three crystal flutes set behind the rear armrest, revealed as a frosted glass screen descends electrically and enjoy the test car’s £15,790 of additional entertainment gear dubbed the Bentley Theatre. This car takes the marque beyond Premier League.

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O&A SUMMER 2019