The Bentley SZ-series sedan is one of those vehicles that either makes a ton of sense or is simply a ticking time bomb of issues. We’ll get into the arguments on both sides, but either way, a Turbo R sedan like this one is the way to fly if you choose to make the leap. The Bentley Turbo R shown here on craigslist has been repainted and comes with a rebuilt title, so it’s far from perfect. But if it’s mostly sound mechanically, does this make it a potentially excellent classic daily? The asking price is $14,500.
Unfortunately, that price is still a few ticks above what well-documented and mostly original cars are going for on sites like Bring A Trailer and private classifieds groups. The seller’s car has that ugly rebuilt title, which is likely only due to a small fender-bender late in life, but still – it’s there. The Turbo R was the one to buy if you were a Bentley/Rolls-Royce client in the 90s, with 360 b.h.p. and 460 lb.-ft. of torque. Road test editors at the time noted it could swing to 60 in 6.4 seconds and rip through the 1/4 mile at just under 15, somewhat ridiculous for a vehicle weighing 5,300 lbs.
The seller’s car still sports signs of its former paint color, with the inner door jams left untouched. The seller claims it was previously black, but the door jams look blue and the same goes for the seat backs and floor mats (along with a brown carpets and dash pad – the whole thing seems a bit mismatched). Still, seeing those picnic tables extended reminds you how cool this big body sedan is, and that it was once considered peak luxury. The rest of the interior photos are encouraging with the dash wood in good order and a subdued replacement head unit in the center stack.
The thing with Bentleys and Rolls-Royces of this era is that they are still complex beats, no matter how stout the running gear is. Gauge clusters can stop working because of a simple ground issue, leaving you with zero insights into how the vehicle is running. The self-leveling suspension can fail, requiring expensive rebuilds, and the brake system uses specialized mineral brake fluid. It’s still an old six-figure car, and requires the requisite maintenance. At under $10,000, this might be worth a look. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Tony Primo for the find.
Something just looks off about this.Maybe it’s the White wheels and
the light colored body paint.Maybe a Black vinyl roof & darker wheels
would help.
The color, the wheel arches and the white walls work together in an interesting way. I like it but I get what you mean about off though I would categorize as unusual.
I never believe stories about Bigfoot, about how a car for sale just needs an O2 sensor replaced (I’ve got the part, just haven’t had time to put it in), or how a car for sale acquired a rebuilt title.
Haha, that’s a terrible deal, not only the rebuilt title, but they also turned it from classy to garish.
As noted in the write-up, every time we see one of these for sale, we are always considering the question – “bargain opportunity to enjoy a truly craftsman built, rolling-country-estate-drawing-room driving experience for hobby moeny?” or “disastrous money-pit just waiting to bankrupt you?” For me, this one just has too many red flags that point to the second category. I would have preferred the original paint to the replacement champagne gold. I always feel that Bentleys (same for classis Aston Martin and Daimlers) look best in something classy like Gunmetal Grey but I guess individual owner’s tastes will differ. And, if you’re going to re-paint a car, do it all, don’t leave the original color on the door jambs.
I’ve always felt that one day I’d like to own one of these Bentleys, not as a daily driver but as a spare car for the occasional ride (yeah, probably going to fall into the “never happened” category..) but I’d look for a better one than this…
$14,500 is just the down payment.
I think it could be fun to have but I wouldn’t because they are proud of their parts and I can buy a running and driving Toyota for what it would take to maintain this thing.
Tray tables,…….. why were these only reserved for the elite?
Why were these exclusively for the “rich” ?
Did the back seat passengers in the “middle class” not need a place to write, place a book, or put down a jar of Grey Poop-on!
How come this concept never filtered down to the Huddled Masses?
Was it a safety thing? Nah… There are pull out tray tables on every commercial airplane.All of the other amenities (like cup holders) filtered down to more mundane automobiles. Maybe people would even picnic in the back seat! (It might even alter our fertility rate from the current. 1.7 kids per couple )
I owned a (non-turbo) RR version for 8 years, and enjoyed it. I have driven Bentley turbo SZ cars, and good ones are great.
This car is not a good one.
Even trying to make this car a decent driver would be a wildly expensive exercise in futility.
The cheap/bad paint-job alone basically ruins the car for me.
Then there is “it just needs a tune-up”, which most of us know really means the owner has given up trying to fix it. The owner also admits to problems with seat modules and power windows. This will easily take a few $K to fix, yourself.
Then there is the conspicuous lack of recent service info on brakes and suspension, which means it is likely overdue for another $5-$10K.
The coup de gras is the Rebuilt title, which makes it a challenge to finance or insure. Most people that want a Bentley turbo would not even look at one with a Rebuilt title.
I have seen decent drivers sell in the price range that is being asked here. Last summer, one sold near me for $15K. It had nice, shiny original black paint, less miles, 2 previous owners, everything worked, and had recent service history.
This car might struggle to get $3K at auction. It is worth more in parts.
For the record, I have rescued & repaired more than my share of lost-cause SZ and SY Series cars, and speak from experience.