The Mulsanne by Bentley

By guestposter Oct 31, 2010

The past few years have seen the rise of many popular celebrities, powerful businessmen, and elite athletes, owning, and driving, a Bentley car, pushing Bentley sales into good territory. Whether in Hollywood hotspots, trendy clubs, or just driving up and down the city streets, these celebrities show off their Bentley Azure, or Continental T, as symbols of their wealth and power. But long before these two popular models, came the Bentley Mulsanne, which is virtually the predecessor of many of the top Bentley models today.  Read on to discover the history of this Bentley classic.

With a name derived from the straight where cars reach top speeds in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Mulsanne, even upon first glance, means serious business. It epitomized the very essence of being Bentley, and when it was unveiled in 1980, the Mulsanne, with its luxurious interior and furnishings, advanced and groundbreaking engineering, and high-performance, commanded the attention of the automotive world.

Its powerful 6.75L Rolls-Royce engine, alluminum alloy cylinder heads, 3-speed automatic transmission, SU carburettors (and later after 1986, Bosch fuel injection system), made the car live up to its name.

With the popularity of the original Mulsanne came two incarnations, the Mulsanne Turbo, and the Mulsanne S. In 1982, the Mulsanne Turbo, which many consider as the predecessor of the Bentley Turbo R, was unveiled, featuring a Garrett AiResearch Turbocharger which gave the car an additional 50% engine power, along with an upgraded interior and modified aesthetic designs. The Mulsanne S arrived soonafter, which didn’t have the Turbo’s turbocharger, but also had upgraded engineering and design.

Bentley sales during the production run of the Mulsanne saw good numbers, a feat that the new 2010 Mulsanne is being hoped to accomplish as well. Whatever its fate, the 2010 Mulsanne is sure to be the ride of choice to many of society’s wealthy taste makers.

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