Bentley Turbo R: The Car that Saved the Marque

Bentley is one of the world’s greatest motoring brands, having built its reputation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1920s. As this book shows, however, by the early 1980s Bentley was merely a badge-engineered subsidiary of Rolls-Royce, with no unique body styles. A new management team with fresh engineering leadership breathed life into Bentley again, taking advantage of the relatively modern turbocharging technology, which significantly increased power output. This led first to the Mulsanne Turbo and then the Turbo R. The ‘R’ stood for roadholding and Peter Lavers describes how improvements in the suspension gave the car the stability and handling qualities to match the new powerful engine.

This book covers all the model variants, including model year upgrades and entry to the United States in 1989, through to Turbo RT and run-out special editions. It also includes derivatives, such as the Continental R and Continental Turbo, and how the turbo engine was used in other models. There is also advice on buying, owning and running a Turbo R.

Drawing on his own experience working at the Rolls-Royce and Bentley Crewe factory in the period covered by the book as well as the memories of key people who were involved in the development of the car, Peter Lavers offers a unique concise guide to one of Bentley’s more significant and successful models.