1989 Bentley TURBO R

Imagine, if you will, the kind of chap who owns this car, a Morris Minor Traveller and 3 (count ‘em) Citroen DSs.

What’s in your mind’s eye? A middle-aged, tweed-wearing, pipe-smoking owner of an antiquarian bookshop? An eccentric, monocle-sporting hipster who works as the curator of a design museum? A bloke called Geoff who smells permanently of Castrol R and has a spark plug cross-reference chart on his bedroom wall?

You’re not even close. This car (and the others) belongs to a 21 year-old theology student called Enzo. Yes, he’s named after Mr Ferrari. Yes, he’s really into cars and he knows a thing or two about them. His parents, he really didn’t need to tell us, are petrol-heads.

He bought the Bentley because the 7 hour trip to Durham in the Traveller was not doing his back much good. He tells us that the Bentley usually attracted some attention when he parked it outside a lecture hall at university. No kidding.

Perhaps not entirely surprisingly, he has decided that the petrol, insurance and running costs of his Bentley Turbo R are currently not working in his favour and he has decided to sell.

This car has faults, some good points and virtually no history. At some stage in its life it has been declared CAT C (see HPI report in the gallery).

The vendor, though, says it’s great to drive, pulls like the Flying Scotsman and is universally liked by everyone who gets to sit in it.

It is what it is.

Feeling lucky?

When the vendor bought the Bentley it wore the somewhat dubious livery of a bright, metallic mauve wrap. It must have looked like ‘The Purple One’ in a Quality Street tin.

The wrap has been removed and the original Midnight Blue is now visible for all to see.

The previous owner was a builder and, judging by the scratches, scuffs, dinks and blemishes to be seen, we can only assume that he was in the habit of driving the Bentley around building sites. At high speed. In the dark. With no lights.

Possibly not what the good folks at Crewe had in mind when they built a car that, in 1989, would have cost around £112,000.

These Royces and Bentleys tend to regularly suffer around the wheel arches. This example is no exception and is showing rust in all four. There is also some rust to be found in the sills, in the rear valance and around the front o/s door handle.

The rubber surround at the bottom of the driver’s window is broken and/or perished.

The front and rear bumpers both have missing, blistered or cracked paint. They also look to have done some ‘bumping’, particularly in the case of the rear bumper, which looks a little out of shape.

The wheels are not too bad, but the rear o/s wheel is missing a hub cap and the tyres look as if they’ll need attention sooner rather than later.

The interior of a Bentley is seldom less than sumptuous and even in this somewhat shabby example you can see the bloodline of quality and hand-built craftsmanship running through the Connolly leather, burr walnut and sheepskin rugs.

The seats function as intended although the vendor tells us that the electrics can be a little ‘eccentric’.

The upholstery is in generally good condition but would benefit from at least been cleaned and conditioned and, at best, being re-Connollised – particularly the driver’s seat.

The headlining , dashboard and centre console are in decent nick, aside from needing a cloth and some elbow grease. The door cards are showing some wear and general grubbiness, particularly on the front armrests.

The carpets are not too bad, except in the boot, where something seems to have been spilled, and in the driver’s footwell, where years of muddy builder’s boots have no doubt left their mark.

Elsewhere, the carpets have been protected by a set of Morlands lambswool rugs. The rugs are described as being ‘Sahara’ in hue but seem to have faded to something closer to off-pink over the years. They are still about 3 inches thick, though, and you could easily lose your foot in there.

The vendor tells us that the AC has been regassed and works, although he says it feels a little ‘anaemic’. The dials, we are told, are working, although the cruise control retired hurt some time ago.

The engine bay is a very big and very full place. That’s a lot of engine. There is some superficial rust here and there, but there’s nothing that seems out of place or a particular cause for concern.

The vendor has covered around 5,000 miles (with no issues) in the car and during that time he has changed the oil, replaced the alternator belt, fitted new suspension spheres to the rear and ordered a new washer motor.

The undersides of the car are fairly featureless although there is some rust visible on the sub frame and some suspension components.

This car had a ‘Covid’ MOT until 14.12.2020 and has covered 118,000 miles. When MOT’d in August 2006 it had clocked up 94,876 miles, so it’s not been doing a great deal of work over the last 13 years later. It had an MOT on 22.12.20 and failed on only a few points which are detailed in the certificate shown in the gallery below. Nothing that should put off a handy welder and a trip to Halfords.

There are a few bills in the photographed history and a handful of old MOT certificates. And that’s your lot. 

The vendor has used this car on long journeys numerous times during his ownership and it’s yet to let him down. He says he’s only selling it because it’s a bit much for a 21 year-old student to maintain. We can’t argue with that.

We value this car between £2,000 - £4,000 and with it running as a no reserve auction, it could be your chance to get your hands on a Bentley at a bargain.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us near Abingdon in Oxfordshire; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.