The cost of owning a classic

When I was warned that the gas spheres needed replacing, I just assumed it was something that was easy money for my local Bentley specialist.

Some mysterious yet crucial sounding component hidden from view would be enough to make a non-techie like me rather jittery.

And sure enough, with a long drive around the corner I persuaded the garage to find a slot for the Turbo R to get its annual service, the gas spheres done and replace a noisy fuel pump.

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When the Turbo R was introduced in 1985, its handling was rather different from the Mulsanne as well as the Mulsanne Turbo it replaced. The new model came with stiffened suspension, which improved cornering and body control but at the expense of the Mulsanne’s supple ride.

It hadn’t occurred to me that my car was underperforming when it came to its cornering ability, especially since it underwent a service before I took delivery of it last year.

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In fact its behaviour had been fairly impressive for a 2,300kg car. Pointing it at a challenging bend resulted in it diving in gamely, leaning a little before the tyres bit and then holding its line and shrugging off the task.

Now the Turbo R corners with a far more combative gait and with greater composure, although the ride has suffered a little, especially since my car has the 1995 17-inch wheels with 55 section tyres.

So a successful service and a cured chassis later, the Turbo R was feeling refreshed, keener than ever to tackle the twisty roads on the long way home.

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But one problem remained: the fuel pump was replaced only for the background grumbling to be even noisier according to my itemised bill. The original was put back on and further investigation was needed, and the drive shaft boots also need replacing.

However, the car was passed fit for its long journey – a trip that would take it a few hundred of miles as it travelled back ‘home’ 25 years after it first passed through the factory gates of what was then Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, but now is Bentley Motors.

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