All of it goes back to 1982’s Mulsanne Turbo.
Today, every Bentley model that you see has a turbocharged motor. However, this wasn’t always true. Mulsanne Turbo, 1982 was the first product to feature forced induction. Bentley presented a parade of 10 models to mark the 40th anniversary of the Mulsanne Turbo’s launch at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The parade featured the following vehicles: 2001 Arnage Red Label, 1991 Turbo R and 2003 Continental R Mulliner Final Series. 2010 Brooklands, 2011 Mulsanne, 2010 Continental Supersports. 2014 Continental GT V8 S. 2022 Continental GTC S. 2022 Flying Spur S. 2022 Continental GT Mulliner.
Bentley claims that the Mulsanne Turbo was created to increase sales. John Hollings, the company’s chief engineer, came up with the idea to turbocharge the 6.75-liter V8. This mill produced 198.5 horsepower (148kilowatts) in its naturally aspirated form. However, switching to forced ignition increased the output to 300 HP (224 kW).
The plan to increase interest in the model worked. Bentley had a nine-month wait list for the Mulsanne Turbo, and produced 4,111 units during its 9-year production run.
Bentley introduced the Turbo R in 1982 to improve the handling of the Mulsanne Turbo. From there, the company kept experimenting with the idea. The Continental R was launched in 1991 with a 355 horsepower (265 kW!) engine.
The Arnage Red Label saw the 6.75-liter turbocharged, turbocharged V8 power increase again in 1999. The engine produced 400 horsepower (298 kW) with a staggering 616 pound-feet. In 6.3 seconds, the sedan could travel 62 miles per hour (100 km per hour)
The Brooklands coupe was introduced with a twin-turbo V8 in 2008. The engine now produces 530 horsepower (395 kW) as well as 774 lb-ft (1 1,050 Nm), allowing the two-door coupe to hit 62 mph in just 5.3 seconds. The last example was produced in January 2010, and it took part in the Goodwood Parade.
In 2010, Bentley revived Mulsanne’s name. The 6.75-liter twin-turbocharged V8 of the Mulsanne name was revived by Bentley in 2010. This is the second example of this generation that took part in the parade.
In 2020, a Mulsanne special edition was the final 6.75-liter-powered Bentley. The company had already two replacements: the 6.0-liter twin turbocharged W12 and 4.0-liter twin turbine V8. The brand’s hybrid models now feature a twin-turbo, 2.9-liter V6 with electric assistance.