Vehicle Description
1989 Bentley Turbo R
The Bentley Turbo R is arguably the most significant car made
during Rolls-Royce's ownership of the company; it is the car that
really restored the iconic Bentley brand to its former glory,
transforming the original Mulsanne Turbo into a more complete
package with vastly improved road holding, (the "R" is for "road
holding").
If you fancy British luxury, a bit of burl wood in your passenger
compartment, being surrounded by leather, have something hand
built, and want an experience akin to driving around a house, then
you need to take a tool in this Bentley Turbo R. Depending on road
conditions and speed you may not even realize you are
moving...until the local Bobby has a lick at you, pulling you over
to the side of the road...for speeding.
Exterior
Taking handmade luxury to the next level is what this car is all
about, plus it is not fooling around on the performance end either.
All steel panels bathed in white with just a hint of chrome thin
trimming throughout could be coined as pure cleanliness/even the
famous grille surround on this car is white with a chromed ribbed
grille front flying "B" topper for the hood and thin trim spears
throughout. Not looking obviously as such don't be fooled this is a
large car. 4 doors with plenty of room for in and out for front and
rear passengers, and spacious storage in the trunk and for the legs
of the passengers. Side views offer almost unassuming looks, but do
not be fooled, it is all tight on the gaps and paint, while nice
has some staining on the horizontal surfaces as well as some
invasive rust in the lower right rear quarter panel and some chip
offs on the rear bumper. Twin laid pinstriping runs the length of
the sides and behind each front tire is a Turbo R badge in red
lettering. Nicely preserved window surrounds have clean slightly
tinted glass all around. Polished 17-inch wheels wrapped in like
new 255/55/R17's all around help with the cloud like ride.
Interior
A fine mix of zebra wood and walnut burl painstakingly mitered
together make up just the door sills. Below his smooth saddle,
(tan), leather and shiny electronic controls and the door actuator.
Inside, more saddle for the padded dash top and bottom which
sandwiches more walnut burl for the dash front. Round gauges and
vents are within this burl as well as a warning light readout
panel. The center console meets the dash in the middle and runs
downward with an aftermarket AM/FM/Cassette player, and more vents
and round gauges. As it meets the floor temp the mirror joysticks,
an ashtray, lighter, power seat adjustments, and memory controls
for the seats. Dual saddle leather wrapped armrests fold down
between the front buckets which all are wrapped in saddle leather
with red piping. Seating shows some slight minor folds in the
leather but gives it a nice look of light usage. A big rear bench
stretches from door to door. Saddle Wilton carpet is gracing the
floors and above is a cream headliner with a corresponding hanging
console with some extra lighting for the rear passengers. We note
some shrinkage of the leather on the dash top and rear parcel
shelf.
Drivetrain
The heart of this car is shoehorned under the hood and presents as
a 6.75 liter V8 with a turbo attached. It is fed by Bosch EFI and
pushes power back to a 2.69 rear axle via a TH400 3-speed automatic
transmission on the back of the V8.
Undercarriage
The R in the name plate means "Road Holding" and there are plenty
of mechanicals that work together to accomplish this with this
large luxury automobile. Automatic Variable ride control with auto
leveling works with independent coil springs all around to provide
this road handling and smooth ride. No rust is seen under here, and
all structurally buttoned up. 4-wheel power disc brakes are on, and
a clean exhaust in dual form works its way out to the rear of the
car, passenger side.
Drive-Ability
I was planning on driving myself and a few of my cohorts to lunch
near the Classic Auto Mall, kind of a tradition with these
Bentleys, however with the driver's power seat being inoperable I
was unable to squeeze behind the wheel but my partner in crime
sucked it in and managed to wheel us to Morgantown, PA's finest
eatery. It accelerated like a storm blowing in, handled like it was
on rails, and rode like you are on the clouds of that incoming
storm. A true head turner...very comfortable inside and the
functionality of conveniences was excellent. I did notice the only
power window to be operational was the driver's front position and
the locks are getting sticky when operated with the key.
A luxury car lover's dream, hand built in the Rolls Royce factory,
plenty of 6.75 liter turbocharged power, and room for several
friends to go along for the ride, this British masterpiece is ready
to roll.
VIN DECODE
SCBZR03B9KCX25420
S-Europe
C-United Kingdom
B-Bentley
ZR-Bentley Turbo R
03-6.75L V8 Turbo Charged
B-Manual Belts
9-Check Digit
J-1989
C-Crewe, England Assy Plant
X25420-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
