THE END OF THE ROAD

IF THE MULSANNE SPEED WAS A blockbuster Hollywood film franchise it would be less Fast & Furious, more Vast & Luxurious. At more than 5.5 metres in length, tipping the scales at 2685kg and costing upwards of £250,000, it was, until very recently, Bentley’s flagship. Sadly, after a decade and some 7300 cars built, production of the Mulsanne ceased earlier this year.

With it went the legendary 6.75-litre V8. Fondly referred to as the ‘six-and-three-quarter’ by those in the know, this engine could trace its roots all the way back to 1959. In continuous production ever since, and fitted to an unbroken succession of series production models right up until the Mulsanne reached the end of the road, this recordbreaking run eclipses even that most celebrated of V8s, the ubiquitous small-block Chevy.

The bones of Bentley’s venerable L-series engine may famously date back decades and decades and decades, but it has been continually refined and re-engineered. Highlights include the adoption of forced induction back in 1982 when the Mulsanne Turbo was introduced. Despite boosting power and torque by 50 per cent, the original Mulsanne Turbo had no suspension changes over