1994 Bentley Brooklands Sports Saloon

Footnotes

By the end of the 1980s, Rolls-Royce's re-branding of Bentley, begun in 1982 with the launch of the Mulsanne Turbo, had proved an outstanding success. However, the sales graph that had climbed steadily upwards throughout the decade, reaching its peak in 1989, would plunge dramatically within just a couple of years because of economic recession. Rolls-Royce responded by rationalising the Bentley range, dropping the normally-aspirated Mulsanne and Eight saloons and introducing the evocatively named Brooklands, the latter being in effect a Turbo R minus turbocharger but retaining the R's sports suspension and adaptive damping control. First seen in the Continental R, the Brooklands' new four-speed automatic transmission boasted a floor-mounted shift lever in keeping with the marque's sporting traditions. As usual there was a long-wheelbase (LWB) variant available costing some £16,000 more than the standard car, itself not exactly cheap at around £96,500 (in late 1993), which perhaps explains why only 199 LWBs had been sold when the Brooklands was deleted in 1998.

For 1997 the Brooklands was upgraded with the 300bhp 'light pressure' turbo-charged V8 engine but remained in production for just one more season. For 1998, by which time it was the only model available with the old 'short' wheelbase, the Brooklands gained the Turbo RT's firmer suspension and five-spoke alloy wheels, becoming the Brooklands R. As parent company Rolls-Royce prepared to phase out these older models, a final derivative – the Brooklands R Mulliner – was announced, only 100 of which were made during 1998 before production ceased at the end of that year.

Finished in Sherwood Green with Spruce Green-piped beige leather interior, this lovely Bentley Brooklands was supplied new and serviced by marque specialists P&A Wood, from whom it was purchased by the current owner in November 2014 (sales invoice on file). Stored in a newly constructed dehumidified museum, it has not been used on the road since acquisition and is presented in excellent condition throughout having covered only some 48,000 miles from new. Freshly MoT'd, this increasingly collectible modern Bentley is offered with a V5C Registration Certificate, two expired MoTs, and numerous servicing and maintenance invoices issued by P&A Wood.