Vehicle Description
1997 Bentley Brooklands - Trophy
This 1997 Bentley was originally owned by the Piano Man himself
Billy Joel!
Ordered new as one of 28 Trophy Editions built exclusively for the
US Market.
Beautiful car and so,,, iconicThe 1997 Brooklands Trophy Edition
was built to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Team Bentley
domination in the 1922 Tourist Trophy (TT) Races in which they won
the Team Prize.
(See Bentley History below.)
The Brooklands Trophy Edition features the extraordinary light
pressure turbo Bentley 6.75L engine. This model carries many of the
Turbo R's distinctive features: color keyed radiator grill vanes,
two tone color seating hides, more extensive wood veneer, and
chrome five spoke wheels with Avon tires.
The Bentley Brooklands fit perfectly the badge-engineered mold that
had come to define so many Bentley products, as it was a
purportedly sporting version of a basic design that had already
been in use by Rolls-Royce/Bentley for over a decade. The platform
on which the Brooklands was based made its debut for 1980, as the
basis for the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit (or long-wheelbase Silver
Spur) and Bentley Mulsanne. By the time the Brooklands was
introduced in 1992 its platform was dated for such a high-end
machine, making the Brooklands more endearingly quaint than
impressively competitive.
The Brooklands was named after one of early motor racing's most
famous tracks, a site where Bentley had proven itself a supremely
capable marque in the years before its affiliation with
Rolls-Royce. Recalling the Brooklands name on a car that, badging
aside, had no connection to prewar racing Bentley's was perhaps a
marketing gimmick, but it was nevertheless an evocative name that
paid tribute to Bentley's triumphant early years.
Mechanically, the Bentley Brooklands had much in common with the
other Rolls-Royce/Bentley models that used its platform. The
familiar V8, an all-alloy design displacing 6.75 liters, was
employed. The engine featured wet, cast-iron cylinder liners and
Bosch fuel injection and ignition control. Four-wheel disc brakes
and all-independent suspension were used to give the
2-and-a-half-ton Bentley manageable driving characteristics. The
suspension was self-leveling, and featured an automatic ride
control system.
The interior and exterior of the Brooklands, with their
now-familiar forms, were traditionally opulent. A large, vertically
veined grilled with quad headlights gave the big Bentley a menacing
face, though its elegant proportions announced the car's
unwillingness to behave brashly. Inside, leather and wood were used
to cover nearly every visible surface. A full complement of neatly
inset gauges and an automatic transmission shift lever located in
the center console (instead of on the steering column) suggested
the Bentley's supposed driver's car mentality.
There were relatively many Rolls-Royce's and Bentley's on the road
with the same basic look as the Brooklands, since the body design
had been used on so many different models. The Brooklands itself
was quite exclusive, though, with just 1,380 produced including 172
long-wheelbase models.
Number manufactured 28 Total Trophy Editions Only but ONLY ONE OF
THESE WAS BILLY JOEL'S.
