THE LINEAR CHAMP(some text hidden)

By James Fosdyke

Ten Second Review word count: 45

Bentley has always been about building huge GT cars and opulent saloons that just so happened to be enormously fast. The Mulsanne Speed is arguably the epitome of that, serving up almost unparalleled luxury and a 0-62mph time that might scare the odd super car.

Background word count: 164

Back in the 1930s, Bentley won Le Mans with the legendary 4 ½ 'Blowers'. They were so good that even James Bond had one, but back then they were built a little bit differently to today's Bentleys. By and large, the Bentley chassis would be taken to a coachbuilder such as Mulliners, where an often-bespoke body would be fitted. The eventual result of all this coachbuilding was invariably a host of very fast cars with luxurious bodies sitting atop the racy underpinnings. Fast-forward 80 years and the art of coachbuilding has all but been forgotten. Bentley now makes the bodies in-house, but they're still as luxurious as ever. The Mulsanne is Bentley's flagship, and as such it's the last word in opulence, but the Mulsanne Speed version is here to turn the leather-lined barge into a sports saloon. Boasting an extra 25PS, adding another £20,000 to the asking price and shaving almost half a second from the 0-62mph time, the big Bentley means business.

Driving Experience word count: 165

Under the long, imperious bonnet of the Mulsanne Speed lies a 6¾-litre V8 with two turbochargers, which takes the power output to 537PS and produce a mountainous 1,100Nm. That allows the 2.7-tonne Bentley to hit 62mph in a mere 4.9 seconds before racing on to 190mph. That means the Mulsanne Speed hits 62mph 0.4 seconds ahead of the standard car and is 6mph faster at the top end. Nought-to-sixty times don't tell the whole story though, and while the Bentley may boast supercar performance figures, the company has worked hard to make sure the Mulsanne Speed doesn't handle like a superyacht when the road stops being straight. Comfort suspension is standard, allowing for a silky-smooth ride, but the Speed also gets a sports setting, which firms the car up and makes it more agile. If you would prefer, you can even set the car up yourself using the 'Custom' mode, which allows you to put the steering, suspension, and engine in your desired settings individually.