The Bentley Mulsanne Turbo is a performance luxury car which was produced by Bentley Motors Limited from 1982 until 1985. The Turbo is a turbocharged variant of the original Bentley Mulsanne (released in 1980) and was featured in the two James Bond novels Role of Honour and Nobody Lives Forever by John Gardner.
Overview
The Mulsanne Turbo was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in 1982 and produced until 1985. The Mulsanne shared the traditional 6.75 L (6750 cc/411 in³) Rolls-Royce V8 with aluminium alloy cylinder heads. All Mulsannes use a 3-speed automatic transmission. There was a 50% increase in power thanks to the Garrett AiResearch turbocharger. There was the usual highly polished walnut veneered fascia, blemish-free leather and carpets and headlining of pure wool for the interior. 498 short wheelbase and 18 long wheelbase Mulsanne Turbos were built
James Bond's Bentley Mulsanne Turbo
Bond purchases a Mulsanne Turbo in John Gardner's 1984 James Bond novel Role of Honour. The car is British racing green with a magnolia interior. Likewise with the Silver Beast, Bond had CCS outfit the car with a long-range telephone and a hidden weapon compartment. Bentley had apparently requested that Gardner not outfit the car with any gadgets other than the telephone.