I know many people prefer the pretakeover models, but for me, the Bentley Mulsanne now stands as the final line in the evolution of a sporting Bentley saloon from the SZ days. This model was made from 2010 to 2020 and is famous as the last car to use the L-series V8, which had lasted an incredible 60 years by the time the production run came to an end – albeit in heavily revised form. These cars are only getting older, so I wanted to take the chance to try something slightly more modern than other Bentleys I'd owned, but still timeless.
I bought this 2011 example earlier this year for my birthday, having swapped it for a 2018 Range Rover Vogue. The Range Rover is a great all-rounder and is one of the most versatile premium cars, but everyone seems to have one. I had the 3-litre V6 diesel model and despite being chipped, it lacked performance compared to my previous 4.4-litre V8 diesel. In contrast, the Mulsanne lacks nothing and is a beautiful car, echoing the older Bentleys and Rolls-Royces I used to own. I gave in the low £50,000s for it, made up of the swap for my Range Rover and £3000 cash – it was purchased in the trade through my son's dealership. I was expecting to spend maybe £5000 to bring the car up to scratch, but
