The Bentley Mulsanne lives a charmed life.

It its glamour photos, the Mulsanne whooshes around between palaces, castles and state capitols.

This is a car that lives the globe-trotting life we all dream about.

It will hit 180-plus-mph between the safety chicanes that break up its namesake straight-away at LeMans.

Everything is supremely luxurious, well-executed, and most of all: memorably fun to drive.

This big bruiser has 10 VW’s worth of power under that massive hood, and rear-drive dynamics ensure old-school Bentley Boys thrills around any damp corner.

But there is a wide-eyed elephant in the room. The Mulsanne is not easy to look at in the eyes, let alone love.

But like the best things in life, this styling takes time to appreciate. Enjoy these mega galleries of the Mulsanne, including a few historical snaps with its Blower 8 Litre ancestor – helping to make sense of the inboard, giant round lamps.

For some, it will be the epitome of history and future in one flying B.

Bentley Mulsanne – Exterior Galleries

Official Specifications below.

PERFORMANCE
0-60 mph	5.1 secs
0-100 mph	11.6 secs
0-100 km/h	5.3 secs
0-160 km/h	11.5 secs
Top Speed	184 mph / 296 km/h

ENGINE
Configuration	6.75-litre twin-turbo V8
Capacity	6750 cc / 411.9 cu in
Induction	Two parallel turbochargers, indirect intercooling
Power	512 PS / 505 bhp / 377 kW @4200 rpm
Torque	1020 Nm / 752 lb.ft @1750 rpm
Construction	Alu. alloy heads and block, forged steel crank, conrods and pistons
Bore x Stroke	104 mm x 99 mm / 4.1″ x 3.9″
Compression ratio	7.8:1
Fuel delivery	Port injection
Valve Gear	Single central camshaft with phaser, pushrods, 2 valves per cylinder
Fuel	98 (95) RON
Cylinder Deactivation	Four cylinders, valves and fuel deactivated at light load
Other Notes	90° V-angle. 15% improvement in fuel economy and CO2 emissions compared to previous generation of V8 engine, whilst producing more power and torque across the rev range.
TRANSMISSION
Configuration	Automatic gearbox, torque converter, rear-wheel drive
Torque Split (front:rear)	NA – rear wheel drive
Gearbox Specification	ZF 8HP90 eight-speed automatic
Gear ratios	1st: 4.71, 2nd: 3.14, 3rd: 2.1, 4th: 1.67, 5th: 1.29, 6th: 1.00, 7th: 0.839, 8th: 0.667
Final Drive	2.92
Shift Time	Mechanical time 600ms, total time 800ms
Other Notes	Sport mode and steering-wheel mounted paddleshift
BRAKES, ESP & CRUISE CONTROL
Brake Disc Material	Cast iron
Front	400 mm diameter x 38 mm thick
Rear	370 mm diameter x 30 mm thick
Callipers
Assistance	Twin-booster arrangement, ABS, Hydarulic Brake Assistance, Electronic Brake Prefill and Automatic Hill-Hold Control
ESP	Electronic Stability Control and traction control. Full disablement possible at driver command.
Cruise control	Cruise control as standard, optional Adaptive Cruise Control
Other Notes	Electronic Park Brake with Drive-Away assist
EXTERIOR SPECIFICATION
Body Type and Style	Steel monocoque, super-formed aluminium front fenders, aluminium bonnet and doors, composite bootlid with integrated antennae
Headlights	Bi-Xenon projector headlamps, LED signature daylight running lamps, LED main beam supplementation, LED rear lamps
Paint Colours	28 standard, 100+ additional options and duotones
Hood	NA
Aerodynamics	NA
GENERAL DATA
Length	5575 mm / 219.5″
Width across mirrors	2208 mm / 86.9″
Width across body	1926 mm / 75.8″ (width with mirrors folded)
Height	1521 mm / 59.9″
Wheelbase	3266 mm / 128.6″
Front track	1615 mm / 63.58″
Rear track	1652 mm / 65.03″
Front Legroom	1065 mm / 41.9 in
Rear Legroom	1090 mm / 42.9 in
Front Headroom (max)	1018 mm / 40.1 in
Rear Headroom	967 mm / 38.1 in
Drag Coefficient	0.33 Cd (0.32 in Sport suspension mode)
Kerb Weight	2685 kg / 5919 lb (North America: 2711 kg / 5976 lb)
Gross Vehicle Weight	3200 kg / 7055 lb
Weight distribution (FR:RR)
PRICING
UK (inc. 20% VAT)	£228,200
US (MSRP)	$298,900
Europe (exc. tax)	€ 248,400
Middle East (exc. duty & tax)	$292,678
China (inc. taxes & duties)	CNY 5,080,000
Russia (inc. 18% VAT)	RUB 16,044,000

 

 

 

 

Speculative Renderings – Fixing the Mulsanne’s Nose

So, is the problem all in the nose? The design sketches are beautiful: but something was seriously lost in translation in the roofline and shoulders of the machine.

So, the nose is … hard to love. Is it mainly the gaping headlights that are the problem? A quick photoshop experiment shows me that:

Yes, in my opinion, the lights are the problem.

Bentley Mulsanne – Interior Gallery

Official Interior Specifications below.

SUSPENSION AND STEERING
Front Layout	Double wishbone, anti-roll bar
Rear Layout	Multilink rear suspension with toe and brake reaction control
Springs & Dampers	Self-levelling air suspension with Continuous Damping Control, automatic ride height control and four driver-selectable modes
Steering System	Rack and pinion, ZF speed-sensitive Servotronic power assistance
Turns Lock-to-Lock	3.33
Steering Rack Ratio	45.6 mm/rev
Turning Circle	12.6 m / 41.3 ft
INFOTAINMENT AND ELECTRONICS
Driver Interface	8″ high-res screen, central Multi Media Interface (MMI) controller
Sound System	14-speakers, 2x subwoofers, 8-channel DSP, iPod/MP3 connection, DAB or SDARS radio, 6-disc CD changer, DVD drive, 2x SD card readers, micro-USB, opt. 2200W 20-speaker Naim system.
Navigation System	Dynamic route guidance, 7-digit postcodes, 3D topography
Phone System	Telephone system, Bluetooth wireless connectivity, privacy handset
Onboard Storage	60Gb hard disc with 20 GB of personal storage space
Other Notes	Tyre-pressure monitoring, Keyless entry & ignition, power door-latching and boot, Park Distance Control. Optional: rear-view camera, TV tuner, Naim premium audio, rear-seat entertainment
INTERIOR SPECIFICATION
Seating	Power-adjustable front (12-way) and rear (8-way) seats. Heating and memory functions. Optional seat ventilation and massage.
Interior Features	4-zone climate control, bulls-eye air vents & organ-stop controls, electric rear privacy blinds. Optional: tilt sunroof, bottle cooler
Hide Colours	25 standard
Wood Veneers	8
Safety	Driver & front passenger air bags, front/rear head & thorax airbags