Bentley
Brooklands R Mulliner

ABOUT THIS CAR

Bentley only built 100 Brooklands R Mulliners, and this is number 67. Supplied new through Murray Motor Co in Edinburgh just before Christmas 1998.

Since then it has had seven owners and covered a little over 67,000 miles, which is very modest for a car built to cover distance. Under the bonnet is the 6.75-litre V8 with the low-pressure turbo, good for 325 bhp. It gives the car the effortless, unhurried pace that suits it so well.

What sets the Mulliner cars apart is the detail, and this one’s build sheet runs to several pages. The Sherwood Mica paint is set off by green badging, colour-coded bumper lips, a painted radiator shell with chrome mesh and Weybridge-style wing vents, all sitting on 18-inch P960 alloys.

Open the door and the Sandstone hide carries on everywhere, right up into the headlining. The Turbo R sports seats are picked out with Spruce piping and have Bentley wings embossed into the headrests. The thick-rimmed wheel is wrapped in perforated hide with Spruce patches top and bottom. Small touches like the drilled pedals, the chrome-ringed dials in dark burr walnut and the starter button set into the lower centre gauge make it feel quite special from the driver’s seat.

The service and maintenance history is equally impressive with 15 stamps in the original service manual, starting with franchised Bentley dealers and moving on to well-known marque specialists including H.R. Owen, Harvey Wash, Colbrook and Mark Taylor.

Most recently in June this year, Mark Taylor went through the car thoroughly, and alongside a full service, all the brake hoses were replaced, both hydraulic accumulator spheres were renewed, the drive belts were changed and a new transmission control module was fitted. They also cleaned up and protected the oil coolers and rear spring pots, which tend to get overlooked. Before that, it had a new air conditioning condenser in 2022. In 2021 it had a new viscous fan coupling, senders, a driver’s seat ECU, front pads and a new headlamp washer system.

Mechanically, it’s a brilliant car, and it drives beautifully. If you wanted to invest in it further, the paintwork is where we’d start, as it could be improved. But if you’re after a proper Bentley to drive and enjoy regularly, we think this is a great option.