1991 Bentley Turbo R

This Turbo R’s included V5 document indicates just two owners from new although documents in its history file show that it may in fact, have had three in total, with a Dutch doctor also having enjoyed the car.

“It’s had quite a lot of money spent on it,” explains the vendor, Laurence. “At the Bentley’s last service, I also spent around £3k and it subsequently passed its MOT test with no advisories.”

He says that he’s been through the car’s MOT history, service book and documents and that the mileage appears to be genuine. “If you look under the bonnet, it’s the real thing; the condition is excellent.”

The service book has a reasonably good number of stamps in it, from both main dealer and independent specialists (including well-known names such as Michael Hibberd, Frank Dale & Stepsons, Mann Egerton & Lex Mead), with those decreasing in frequency as the car’s annual mileage contracted.

It also comes with a full tool kit and its current MOT certificate runs until the 24th of November 2021.

In period, the sight of this majestic big brute thundering up behind you would have had you cowering and reaching for the smelling salts. The passage of time has done nothing to diminish that effect, for a there’s nothing like a big black Bentley from this period for bit of bravura road presence.

Its Masons Black coackwork remains pretty clean with dead straight flanks. There’s a smattering of stone-chips on the front spoiler, but they’re only really discernible up close. The rear valance is a touch discoloured around the twin exhaust tailpipes, but again it’s only really visible if looking for it. One or two panel edges have a bit of lacquer lift and there’s a light scratch here and there, too.

The front bumper rubber is split at the nearside and has marginally come away from the metal on the offside (only by 50mm or so). There’s not a huge amount of brightwork on this generation Bentley and it ranges from good (winged bonnet badge) to a touch tarnished (electric aerial surround).

Each tyre (replaced in 2015) looks to have plenty of tread remaining and the alloy wheels are all very clean.

“I’d say that for the year, I’d give the interior 8.5 out of 10,” says Laurence. It is in generally very smart condition. The leather seats, black piped red, are in tip-top condition, supple and clean, with just a light patina. They all remain in excellent health with plenty of support available to all occupants, be they driver, front passenger or others cocooned in that luxurious rear.

Carpets, including the matching one fitted in the boot, are similarly good. The wood veneer is generally very smart but not entirely without blemish; there’s a chipped edge just above the oil pressure gauge, a light scratch running from the offside air vent to, and past, the chrome mounting bolt and a crack on the offside rear door capping. Door cards are very clean and generally mark free.

It’s also worth noting that a bit of the speedometer instrument mounting gasket has been pulled forward and is visible around its outer edge.

“It drives pretty damned well,” says Laurence. We can confirm that it starts easily, ticks over nicely with barely a whisper and the engine pulls like a juggernaut; brakes are firm with plenty of bite and the suspension cossets you like a mother’s embrace. It’s a very pleasant example to drive.

The underside looks to be in good order and popping the bonnet reveals a decent looking engine bay. There’s no evidence of any worrying leaks and the quilted sound deadening on its underside remains in good order, commensurate with its mileage.

The car’s documents are still housed in their original Bentley leather wallet. Within it you’ll also find operating instructions for the Blaupunkt Bremen RCM 43 stereo system.

There are several invoices telling some of the car’s story; it appears to have resided in Ireland during the mid-teens and possibly also spent some time in The Netherlands.

Brabo Rolls-Royce & Bentley Specialist of Hillegom, The Netherlands, supplied parts and consumables to Kerry Auto Pre-Test Centre in Ireland, which carried out a service, as well as replacing a front damper and overhauling the steering rack, on the 30/03/2015 at a cost of €1708.88. A new set of Avon CR27 Turbospeed 255/65 R15 tyres were fitted, at a cost of £1057.60, around the same period.

There are several other smaller invoices for works to lighting and braking systems, as well as a number of expired MOT test certificates.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

As our £13,000 to £19,000 estimate range suggests, these big Bentleys offer incredible value for money in this day in age. At either end of that the next owner will be getting a walloping large amount of car for their outlay.

This example still presents well and with just circa 31k miles on the clock, it’s barely even broken sweat in mileage terms. If you’re after a luxurious big barge, but one that saw the beginnings of a return to Bentley’s sporting ethos, then this imposing example could be the one for you.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located us at The Market HQ, Abingdon; 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’.