Bentley Mulsanne (1980)
1980–1992 · Bentley Mulsanne (1980) — Luxury Saloon, V8, designed by Fritz Feller.
The Story
The 1980 Mulsanne looked, at first, like business as usual — another Bentley twin of a Rolls-Royce, in this case the new Silver Spirit, distinguished mainly by its grille. But the name mattered. After decades of letters, Bentley reached back to its racing soul and called the car Mulsanne, after the long, flat-out straight at Le Mans where its 1920s cars had made their legend.
The name turned out to be a promise. In 1982 came the Mulsanne Turbo — a Bentley-only model with roughly 50% more power than the standard car — and with it, the first flicker of a distinct, performance-minded Bentley identity in a generation. It was the spark that would relight the whole marque.
The Numbers
Benchmarked against its class
Each dial ranks this car within its Luxury Saloon class — fuller means higher, and the tick marks the class midpoint.
Signature Colors
The Designer
Fritz Feller
Rolls-Royce in-house stylist who designed the 1980 Silver Spirit/Bentley Mulsanne body that underpinned the Turbo R. FLAG: biographical details (birth year) not confirmed in sources.
Studio Motors POV
The car that started Bentley’s comeback — a rebadged Rolls that, in Turbo form, rediscovered the marque’s performance soul. Historically pivotal, and still affordable.
The Engine
Rolls-Royce / Bentley L-Series 6¾ V8
Lineage
Where it sits in the bloodline
Market & Value
Values on cars like this move monthly. Our brokers price from real transactions.
What Reviewers Said About Mulsanne (1980)
Worth Knowing About the Mulsanne (1980)
3 Things You Didn’t Know
- 1. Its name honours the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans — the circuit's fastest stretch — a nod to Bentley's 1924–30 racing glory; it was the first Bentley in decades to get a name rather than a letter.
- 2. It started as just another rebadged Rolls-Royce (the Silver Spirit) — until the 1982 Mulsanne Turbo gave Bentley its own identity again.
- 3. The Mulsanne Turbo's roughly 50%-more-power engine was a Bentley-only offering — the first real divergence from Rolls-Royce in decades.
5 Fast Facts
- 1. Bentley twin of the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit (1980–1992).
- 2. Naturally-aspirated 6.75 V8 (~200 hp); the Mulsanne Turbo (1982) added ~50% more power.
- 3. Named after the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans.
- 4. The first Bentley with a name, not a letter, in decades.
- 5. The Mulsanne Turbo lit the fuse for the Bentley revival.
Provenance
Owners & what to look for
Famous Owners
A period clientele; no single celebrity owner cleanly documented.
Studio Buyer’s Brief
The Mulsanne Turbo over the naturally-aspirated base for the historically significant performance car; hydraulics, rust and complexity are the costs. The NA Mulsanne is the value classic, the Turbo the collectible.
Full Specifications
- Make / Model
- Bentley Mulsanne (1980)
- Class
- Luxury Saloon
- Production years
- 1980–1992
- Units built
- Total not cleanly disclosed; 516 Mulsanne Turbos (498 SWB + 18 LWB, 1982–85)
- Variants
- Mulsanne L (long wheelbase); Mulsanne Turbo (1982–85, single-turbo 6.75 — the performance revival)
- Engine layout
- Front
- Engine
- V8
- Engine family
- Rolls-Royce / Bentley L-Series 6¾ V8
- Displacement
- 6,750 cc (6.75 L)
- Power
- 200 hp
- Torque
- 398 lb-ft
- 0–60 mph
- 10 s
- Top speed
- 119 mph
- Power-to-weight
- 91 hp/tonne · 24.2 lb/hp
- Transmission
- automatic (GM 3-speed)
- Drivetrain
- RWD · Petrol
- Curb weight
- 4850 lb
Questions
Mulsanne (1980) FAQ
Where does the Bentley Mulsanne name come from?
The Mulsanne Straight is the long flat-out section of the Le Mans circuit where Bentley’s 1920s racing cars built their legend. When Bentley adopted the name in 1980, it was the first Bentley model named after one of the marque’s racing locations rather than a place or person.
How did the Mulsanne Turbo revive Bentley’s performance identity?
Launched in 1982, the Mulsanne Turbo used a Garrett-turbocharged version of the 6.75-litre V8, producing approximately 50 percent more power than the standard Mulsanne. Critically, it was offered only as a Bentley with no Rolls-Royce equivalent, marking the first meaningful performance divergence between the two marques in decades.
What engine does the Bentley Mulsanne (1980) use?
The 1980 Bentley Mulsanne is powered by a naturally-aspirated 6,750 cc V8 producing approximately 200 horsepower (estimated; exact NA figures were not consistently published). The 1982 Mulsanne Turbo added a Garrett turbocharger, boosting output by approximately 50 percent. Approximately 498 SWB and 18 LWB Turbos were built.
Can you lease a Bentley Mulsanne (1980)?
Yes, specialty lenders structure collector-car leases regardless of model year.
How does the Bentley Mulsanne relate to the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit?
The 1980 Bentley Mulsanne shares its monocoque body, chassis, and naturally-aspirated 6.75-litre V8 with the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, differing only in its grille, bonnet line, and badges. From 1982, however, the Mulsanne Turbo was offered exclusively as a Bentley, the first significant mechanical divergence between the two marques in decades.
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