Bentley Turbo R // The Cure to Modern Car Boredom

[@Birmingham_racing]

My favourite old school Bentley

[@David_H-73]

What a car JJ and so unusual in soild red. We will never see the likes of this again. Back seat JJ was very happy!

[@JJonCars]

Solid red is the best! 👍👍

[@ron2256]

​@@JJonCars😅

[@benofbrown]

These really are wonderful cars. I've had my 1996 one for three years now, and I love it. There's nothing like it. The interior's a bit nicer than the earlier ones, they don't have those plasticy air vents any more, just the metal ones. The four speed box helps a bit with fuel when you can cruise at 70 for a decent time, the best I've measured on mine was a touch shy of 23 mpg for a mostly motorway trip. I do prefer the later, slightly more aggressive styling too. They do cost a lot to keep going but it's worth it to me, puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. And there's nothing modern that comes close to the sheer class that luxury cars of this era exude.

[@JJonCars]

Thanks for commenting, it's nice to hear from an owner of one. I do like what they did with the later models, sounds like they made them more usable and certainly more modern. Cheers :)

[@sprezzatura8755]

I came across in 1997 brooklands looks interesting. But I have heard Zyrtec can't be problematic. Car was dealer maintained waiting to review service records especially regarding head gasket service.

[@benofbrown]

@@sprezzatura8755 Zytek gets a bad name online but if you talk to people like Iain Tyrell who've worked on these cars for years they have plenty of praise for it. Brooklands will either be low pressure turbo or no turbo at all so head gaskets are much less of an issue, and even with the turbo cars like mine again I think it's something people on the internet exaggerate. My car has done 67k miles and hasn't had them done and although I can't say it's something I never worry about it's pretty far from the top of my mind, though if the internet is to be believed they should have catastrophicly failed a few thousand miles back.

[@terrymurphy2637]

Thanks for fun review. Head gasket failures are more applicable to post 1995 cars. Mine's an 89 Fuel injection @ 110000 miles & no issue. Just don't give it full welly until warmed up completely. 1987 to 1989 20000 series are most reliable & least expensive to maintain & last analog Bentleys. Avoid Carburated early models if you want no solex carb warping issues. . Buy a Long wheelbase RL for extra leg room in back. Fabulous Motor for the money.

[@JJonCars]

Cheers, good info to know :)

[@SentimentCarsWatches]

Hi Terry, I also have bought one from 89, a RL, 53.000 miles

[@terrymurphy2637]

Great .Left or Right hand drive?​@@SentimentCarsWatches

[@SentimentCarsWatches]

@@terrymurphy2637 left

[@leeheywood-r9u]

Got one. Love it. Thanks for the post. 👍

[@leeheywood-r9u]

Just spent 28 grand on mine. Money well spent in my view.

[@ChicagoItalian]

@@leeheywood-r9uI am on my 10th Turbo R - nothing else compares, especially if you are driving a well maintained one.

[@Rjhs001]

Hi JJ. What a beautiful motor from a time when it could be said with some justification that the Brits made the best car in the world. I'm sure that that style of grab handle was in one of my dad's cars, possibly a 1970 Sunbeam Rapier...I loved that car. Anyway, great review of a fabulous car. Thank you so much.

[@JJonCars]

Hi John. Interesting, perhaps that style of grab handle was an old British style :) glad you enjoyed the vid, cheers 🥂

[@ron2256]

The first owner of this car was Mr Oswald Kay, company director in Leeds

[@Allmentux]

Head gasket wasn't an issue until with the models 10 years later and its actually the radiator blocking up. Head gasket is just the weakest link in the chain and then likes to go... Please advise the owner to remove the foot rests from the pockets. They will stretch them out and therefore do permanently damage.

[@JJonCars]

That's good to know, cheers 👍

[@Jimmy180-b1n]

I believe that they did use the Citroen suspension system - unless that was a dream I once had 🤔 Great vid again!

[@JJonCars]

I think you might be right! I heard this after I filmed the video. Makes sense as they were the experts. Cheers!

[@vikos78]

In fact it uses regular coil suspensions. The Citroën hydraulic spheres are just here as a stabilizer, and only at the rear.

[@leeheywood-r9u]

@@Jimmy180-b1n yep. Citroën.

[@ron2256]

The brakes run on LHM mineral oil as well as the suspension.. there are two reservoirs and systems.. the front wheels have two calipers each, one from each system so if one drops it's mineral oil, the brakes still work. So the brakes use mineral oil and the power steering uses ATF fluid.. Major damage can be done if you use the wrong fluid.. Always use the best petrol, E5 with as little ethanol as possible.. The engine was able to use unleaded from new but E10 can rot rubber fuel components.

[@Daz_Stap]

Another great video, and hilarious ASMR nonsense, I loved it!

[@JJonCars]

Haha, cheers Daz!

[@ron2256]

It's a big 6.75 litre turbo V8 with about 330bhp, capable of about 150mph and yet it's quiet and comfortable and nice to drive. Difficult to park though 😂😂

[@ron2256]

I don't know why but this car was in storage for a number of years and then was the subject of some kind of court case where a garage took ownership of the car and then sold it to someone in Brighton and then it somehow ended up at a garage in Leicestershire, traded in against a vintage Austin 7..

[@deanstevenson6527]

Best use of an Opel based Vauxhall Royale 2.8 and Mercedes Benz 280S Solex 4A1 4bbl carb. Rolls Royce just added 100 hp from the turbo and encased the French 4bbl carb in a glorious acran black 12 bolt pressure cooker case with 7.5 pounds per square inch of boost at 4500 rpm. That did it! All 519 of the fiest Mulsanne Turbos were 4 barrel carb, the Bosch K Jetronic had to await till 1986. Great to see a carb turbo R doing its majestic stuff on English turf. 🥝✔️

[@stefan5958Q]

Thanks for this video, cars have definitely come a long way. More efficient, quiet and smooth. definitely agree with you. Just 'back to basic' with manual switches and dials, if it is not broken don't fix it. These days we all want to 'reinvent the wheel'. Creating new tech for cars, that doesn't really add more than needs to be in my opinion. All these screens are distractions to me, the focus needs to be on the road.

[@JJonCars]

Yep definitely 👍👍

[@markhooper1352]

JJ mate! What can I say? Are we distant brothers or something? You know how much I love my CLK and now you show me a Bentley! Woohoo! You won't be at all surprised to know I have a (very late) August '76 Rolls-Royce Shadow will you? Not a Bentley, but as much "Crewe" family as you can get. These are proper cars, carb V8 petrol, powerful, smooth, cathedral quiet and proper switches and dials as you say. Not to mention the obligatory Lambswool Over-rugs ;-) I can hear some wind noise too, yes, but mainly creaking of the leather and ticking of the clock. Mine is a UK car also, imported to Australia, she has the UK suspension and pillow soft ride. You don't have a Jeep Commander CRD 3.0 tucked away too do you? Petrol heads and traditional dials and switches RULE!! Cheers mate!!!

[@JJonCars]

Haha no way! That's amazing you have that car. No Jeep commander tucked away but if get offered one I'll review it, just for you 😄 Cheers mate

[@willswheels283]

Great vid JJ, and a very nice car, it’s like a statement on the road and an occasion getting into one I’m sure. You were fortunate to get that car to test, a lovely example.

[@JJonCars]

Cheers Will - yes for sure, I think I'd have made this video even if I knew it would get 0 views, just to drive the thing :)

[@willswheels283]

@@JJonCars Yes it was worth it just for the chance to drive one, I’d have done the same thing!

[@manofthehour6856]

I love 1980s era cars (along with most eras before) and feel the styling trends of the 1990s is where everything car-related started to go bland. This gives me pause to reflect on the situation, and, I now realize that although I don't care for most modern vehicles from a sense of motoring pleasure, and I sure as hell don't like "infotainment" because it has nothing to do with the act and skills of driving, other people can have that. A modern car is fine for ordinary errands and commuting, but on the weekend.... I really don't put many miles on my weekend car, so I have no problem justifying its existence, if that were even the case. Nothing lasts forever, and there is that fine skill of balancing tradition with the future. Yes, may be a dinosaur, but I still the old cars and it will be long after I have passed when they become extinct. I don't worry..... It would be a sin to crush something like this. It was built to last, just as a Mercedes of the era was as well. Nothing comes close to the "veneers" (they're damn wood planks of the highest quality lacquered and polished to perfection. The organ-pull stops for the switchgear and thickness of the leather. Its pure "old money" before manufacturers really pushed the wealthy to get the newest, and "greatest". Myself, had I the money then, I would have bought one and just kept it. None of this trading in on something newer. It can move with the big guys, and absolutely imposing on the road, even in the 30-foot-tall pickup truck dominated roads of the US.

[@JJonCars]

🙏🙏

[@sprezzatura8755]

Matt Farrah (The Smoking Tire on KZbin) bought one of these from his neighbor and had it serviced to perfection. His plan is is to keep it long-term. These cars are also fairly DIY friendly if you can turn a spanner. Even if it costs $2,000 a year to maintain it still comes out cheaper than a new SUV that's just depreciates. And it is a car built for a lifetime. Not built to be recycled. So which is greener? Every dollar you spend on gas is $2 saved on maintenance. Drive this car!

[@Molloy1951]

Superb video! Thank you, JJ

[@JJonCars]

Thank you!

[@josephkelly4893]

What a machine!!! Peak Bentley

[@leeheywood-r9u]

I have a 95 model I love and adore. As little substantive maintenance been done over the past 10 years It's needed a thorough mechanical restoration. Body work is in splendid order..however..I'm now £32000 out of pocket😢 would I have made different choices...no. she is a dream❤ On a plus side she makes my Jaguar XJ8 look economical!! 😊😅😅😅😂

[@JJonCars]

I'm glad you're happy with your choices! :)

[@bernardpowell3582]

Nice JJ, the pace of the review was spot on I was left thinking of by gone days of individual style cars that were simply beautiful. Nice one JJ look forward to the next review

[@JJonCars]

Ah thank you for saying so Bernard, glad you enjoyed the video. Cheers.

[@jgg02]

Another great review!

[@JJonCars]

Thank you :)

[@donhaschi]

Nice one JJ ! Keep up the Good work :-)

[@JJonCars]

Thank you :)

[@carsandcustard]

Great video of what is my favourite Bentley! I’ll hopefully be able to review my friends 97’ Turbo RL once it’s back on the road. Didn’t want to hand the keys back over last time I drove it.

[@JJonCars]

Do it! Would like to see that :)

[@ChicagoItalian]

I am on my 10th Turbo R, a 1997 and it’s the best one yet…these cars cruise along effortlessly….I’ve been working on mine for a while, there’s always something to work on.

[@andybrooks7908]

Look at the size of the exhaust housing on the turbo its bigger than the compressor housing

[@zdravkomamic8505]

I love your content, always soke pleasant surprise 😊

[@JJonCars]

Thank you!

[@Slavic_Sky]

This car is a statement, absolutely gorgeous classic. By the way, is Turbo R like a sporty version of Mulsanne from that era?

[@JJonCars]

Yes agreed! So technically it's a separate model of car which came out right at the end of the Mulsanne turbos life, and kinda replaced it. But it is rather similar.

[@totuudentorvi7781]

There was regular Mulsanne and they then introduced Mulsanne Turbo as the performance version. Then they improved the suspension to match the performance so the model name was changed to Turbo R ("R" for Road holding) So yes, it is a sporty version of a Mulsanne.

[@ron2256]

​@@totuudentorvi7781in 1986, a Turbo R travelled 140 miles in one hour and these are UK miles, on the Millbrook Proving Ground banked track, taking the record away from Lamborghini and the only modification was a bigger fuel tank.. there's a KZbin video about it on Flying Spares.

[@RadlerMannheim]

Love the colour...!

[@ron2256]

Vermillion Red with Parchment Leather Upholstery

[@JJonCars]

You can't beat a good old solid red 👍

[@MarkGelderland]

Awesome car, the smoke is a bit concerning though.

[@MarkGelderland]

@@ron2256 From the exhaust?

[@ram318yt]

The wood cappings are mahogany on top, but the vertical facings are covered with burr walnut. Those pull-down handles are called duchess straps. I think the companion mirrors in the back are for the lady to check her lipstick... that's about all you can see in them.

[@JJonCars]

Ah cool, cheers. I notice that they still put those little mirrors in the very latest Rolls Royce, obviously a bit of a tradition.

[@LB-zc1hj]

Very good❤

[@novicetheaf]

Interesting car 🙂

[@JJonCars]

Sure is :)

[@ron2256]

I can't be absolutely certain but i think that from about 1990, this car may have belonged to a Mr Frank White of the Palm Court Hotel in Scarborough as one of its reg numbers was 900FNW

[@classlessbozo317]

1986 £1.77 per gallon 2024 £1.77 per litre

[@ron2256]

And 15% VAT..

[@Bod8998]

Subbed mate

[@JJonCars]

Cheers!

[@ron2256]

Good review.. Thanks

[@JJonCars]

Cheers Ron! What a car.

[@ron2256]

@@JJonCars 😁😁

[@adebrade172]

Did I see some blue smoke coming out of exhaust 😮 cheque book Ron 😭

[@HarryBaalzach]

How well does that 408BHP engine shift a well appointed snug that weighs LESS than a 2024 Range Rover? It’s really not that heavy by modern standards and that’s a beefy engine for its day too! Edit the fuel injected version is 408bhp, shame that’s not one…

[@totuudentorvi7781]

Only the very latest versions cracked 400hp. The early FI cars had 330-350 hp.

[@ron2256]

The mechanical fuel injection is a nightmare if it goes wrong whereas this one would just need a carburettor rebuild. It's plenty powerful enough.

[@HarryBaalzach]

@@ron2256 I don’t disagree with that, I just remember an uncle who had one and commented based on that. Then I edited when I realised JJ wasn’t driving that model. It does still interest me how well it picks up, but in a loaned car it’s probably not good to abuse it then post footage on YT…

[@ron2256]

@@HarryBaalzach it's pretty quick, better than some modern cars but imagine 38 years ago when it was new and cars at the time were slower..

[@HarryBaalzach]

@@ron2256 I had a marina back then 😂 0-60? get the calendar out. I’ve got a 1990 Nissan 300ZX twin turbo 330bhp that weighs 1.5 tonnes, also a Lexus RX weighing 2.5 tonnes with 312bhp. I’ve had a 900kg kit car with a rover V8 and recently a Lexus LC500 at 470bhp. The way they all drive is always unique and surprising so a luxury performance car from a great time in British automotive history really makes me want to try it.

[@DanielMasmanian]

You could just get a '99 S430 for a song. Especially with the yummy extra leathery bits. I'd recommend it.

[@JJonCars]

They are very cheap indeed. Though buying one at the bottom end of the market might not be the best financial decision in the long run, as much as I love Mercedes from that era :)

[@ChicagoItalian]

But it’s a Mercedes…by the time I finish typing this I just saw 10 Mercedes.

[@perarduaadastra873]

Fantastic vocal delivery, relaxed. Need to give Shmee lessons on how not to be irritatingly shrill.

[@JJonCars]

Haha, thanks

[@icarus_28]

Why does this video feel like a jayemm on cars video . Are you two related by any chance ?

[@JJonCars]

As far as I know, we're not related. But I do like his videos.

[@icarus_28]

@@JJonCars same here , jayemm and high peak autos is similar in style . This is the first time I came across you and just subbed , good luck mate . I’m in tech as well lol

[@JJonCars]

@@icarus_28 Cheers and thanks for subbing! Fellow 'tech bro' 😂

[@ron2256]

I think this is better than Jay Emm. I like the High Peak Autos guy but he wouldn't really do a video like this. His are about buying a car and overspending on it.. I quite like the Salvage Rebuild UK channel. And of course Wheeler Dealers, they just did a Rolls Royce this shape, the SZ shape it will be on Quest TV, I think soon. But they did a cheap job on it with the paint, spray it on thick.from rattle cans but Elvis did a good job on it.

[@roderickjones7479]

A cure to boredom...but not the cure for bankruptcy...

[@douglasdowns4846]

Have you ever seen a Bentley towing a "caravan"?

[@ron2256]

No but it could with it's self levelling rear suspension. It's probably too big though as a tow car. And if you have a Bentley, you would probably have a separate campervan or stay in a hotel

[@JJonCars]

Can't say I have. But it would be no problem at all for this beast

[@FAB12UCB]

I am not actually against electric cars, but I am against the way cars are going. 3 cylinder 1L with a turbo strapped to it.

[@sydbarret1973]

Enough of the turtlenecks already

[@perarduaadastra873]

Stick shift conversion, ceramic brakes and 100 Bhp per litre. ✨

[@thenewviceroy]

Heavy drinker and a heavy smoker, that one! Must have been an over-rich cold-starter (the carby versions were & are horrible) for the 6.75 to blow blue smoke. Or just neglected. Shame, nice car otherwise.

[@laskos02]

First

[@JJonCars]

Congrats 😄

[@alancrisp1582]

🥱 And nothing intelligent 🧠 to say or add to the conversation ?. Sad 😔 really !.

[@alancrisp1582]

😂😅 Buy yourself a new Toyota Corolla for 36 thousands with s two ✌ year warranty. Or buy yourself and Rolls_Royce, and spend 50 thousands dollars 💵 plus on making it road worthy !😅.

[@ron2256]

Your choice

[@AnnatarTheMaia]

A gasoline automatic instead of a diesel manual is "a cure for boredom"? You must be on drugs!

[@mikeware5282]

Lovely car - horrible colour!!

[@ron2256]

I disagree.. it's a lovely colour.. Vermillion Red. It stands out from all the wedding cars.

[@carlread6322]

vermilion Red looks absolutely stunning on the Bentley but probably not so much on the Rolls Royce version.

[@ron2256]

@@carlread6322 it is nice and it's more unusual.

[@Yumuura-ze5qp]

its just way too slow

[@JJonCars]

In its day it was rapid. Perhaps now compared to the latest performance cars, but it's not slow.