THE END OF THE ROAD

Bentley’s magnificent Mulsanne has been retired, and with it, after six decades of service, the marque’s mighty 6.75‑litre V8. To bid farewell, we take a final drive with both in their ultimate forms, in the 530bhp, 1100Nm Mulsanne Speed

- RICHARD MEADEN

If the mulsanne speed was a blockbuster Hollywood film franchise it would be less Fast & Furious, more Vast & Luxurious. At more than 5.5 metres in length and tipping the scales at 2685kg, it was, until very recently, Bentley’s flagship. Sadly, after a decade and some 7300 cars built, production of the Mulsanne ceased in June last year.

With it went the legendary 6.75-litre V8. Fondly referred to as the ‘six-and-three-quarter’ by those in the know, this engine could trace its roots all the way back to 1959. In continuous production ever since, and fitted to an unbroken succession of series production models right up until the Mulsanne reached the end of the road, this record-breaking run eclipses even that most celebrated of V8s, the ubiquitous small-block Chevy.

The bones of Bentley’s venerable L-series engine may famously date back decades and decades and decades, but it has been continually refined and re-engineered. Highlights include the adoption of forced induction back in 1982 when the Mulsanne Turbo was introduced. Despite boosting power and torque by 50 per cent, the original Mulsanne Turbo had no suspension changes over the standard car, but there’s no question the cachet of a latter-day ‘blower’ worked wonders for Bentley’s otherwise beleaguered sales.