Bentley has always been the British luxury brand associated with more sport than opulence, at least compared to its Rolls-Royce siblings. That being said, we’re still not talking about Porsche-grade performance, but the Bentley was clearly geared towards an owner who would rather drive than be driven. The car shown here, a 1990 Bentley Mulsanne S, shows under 40,000 original miles with a striking black over red leather interior. The Bentley, listed here on craigslist for $25,000, still represents tremendous value in the collector car marketplace if the example has been maintained – and this one appears to have been looked after.
Personally, I have never driven one of these fine automobiles, but a Turbo R sedan is high on my list of vehicles to someday experience. The experience of driving one of these cars has been described in various ways, but almost every owner references the blend of muffled engine noise and solid, swift performance. One of my favorite web forum descriptions is “…it’s a bit like a thunderstorm happening fifty miles away,” which seems spot-on for a luxury sedan like this. Bentley engineered these cars to be the benchmark of luxury sedans, but it seems to me that a BMW 7-Series or Mercedes-Benz S-Class shopper didn’t necessarily cross-shop with the lineup from Crewe.
If you’re buying one of these Bentleys new in the showroom in 1990, chances are there’s a level of not only wealth in your life that enables such a purchase but also a lifestyle that demands it. You could likely drive through some upper middle class neighborhoods in the early 90s and see an E32-chassis BMW 7-Series in a driveway. But a Bentley? That was reserved for a different class of consumer. Everything about the Bentley stands apart, from the smells of the leather, the acres of genuine burled wood trim, the thick carpeting, the switchgear on the dash – all of it was distinctively different from the Germans. While the BMW and Mercedes felt the same, nothing felt like the Bentley (except for a Rolls-Royce!)
The Mulsanne is powered by a naturally-aspirated 6.75L V8, a stoic engine that won’t push you back in your seat but it will move with unflinching pace. 215 horsepower and a prodigious amount of torque – 398 lb.-ft. of it – will get you down the road just fine. The 3-speed automatic is slow and lazy, more or less, so don’t expect a particularly lively experience. However, that’s not what Bentley ownership is about, and it’s also why so many of these cars likely remain in tidy shape even when they have some miles on the clock. This one looks like a solid example for the money, but I might try and cut the price slightly given it takes the right kind of buyer to keep up with the notoriously expensive parts and maintenance. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Rocco B. for the find.
This car looks great…..But, with no mention of service history, I will assume there will be some deferred maintenance to attend to.Maybe a lot.
This is not a particularly desirable model compared to the Turbo. These remind me of owning an 80s GM with a 305, and always regretting I didn’t get the 350.
Low mileage examples are more common than you might think. In the last year or so I have seen similar cars struggle to make $10K and others with service history selling in the $12K – $15K range. I think the asking price here is overly optimistic.
I look at this and think, “Wow, beautiful. That black on top of that red interior, all that luxury. $25k? I could dig that (maybe get him to knock off a grand or two)…My wife would definitely ride in this one.” Furthermore, I’m a handy boy, I could manage the oil changes, do the brakes, fix the odd glitch here and there, right? But, just as I’m ready to hit the button, I think, “but what if I get in a bit of trouble? What if I find I can’t do the steering rack, or the knackered widget, whatever?” So, I look on the internet for “local” RR/Bentley mechanics. I find that they are in the priciest areas of good old SoCal – Beverly Hills, West LA, Murrieta, Las Vegas (!) That’s when the dream ends, and I wake up.
I already own a 20-year-old Land Rover. This thing is Land Rover maintenance on steroids…
But, it’s a lovely car.
Murrieta? Have you ever been there?
Point taken. Palm Springs adjacent, if you squint.
Check out this You Tube guy who is doing an LS swap on an even more expensive Bentley. He has some other interesting projects as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JGJe97lyis
Thanks! Bentlys are ridiculously over engineered and more complicated than they need to be imo but he makes it look at least somewhat practical to own one if you don’t have big bucks. I like the idea of getting my own machine tools on the cheap or buying things that were made by other companies to begin with and can be had for a fraction of the cost of a Bently replacement. I’m on the LS swap video now.
Thank you for this. I just went though. I never saw anyone cast in place polyurethane bushings before
40k miles is the perfect time to unload a Bentley of this era. While $25k is a too good to be true price, you could easily buy it and spend another $25k on within the next couple of years. Ask the Car Wizard what he thinks of this era of Bentleys.
I wonder how many warning lamps on the dash are lit up. or will light up within the first 100 miles after the new owner takes delivery.
None!
All disconnected. he he he
Someone took a beat down with a depreciation paddle…
Listing a Bentley on Craigslist is a sure sign that the Grey Poupon has fallen…
LOL! I love it!
I wonder if this Bentley Mulsanne was originally a Canadian Ambassador’s vehicle. When I was in Scandinavia in 2014, I noticed one of these cars in Oslo and found out it was the official car for the Canadian Ambassador to Norway. I found similar ambassador cars in Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn and Copenhagen. Why does it matter? Just curiosity and there were no Lincolns or Cadillacs.
I wonder if Canadians are aware of this outlay of their tax dollars?