Official: New Bentley Mulsanne Speed

Bentley has today announced the new Mulsanne Speed, the high-performance version of its most luxurious saloon, which had been rumoured since the start of summer. For now it is its only confirmed preview for the Paris Motor Show and, as with the 1980s Mulsanne, its modifications are more significant in mechanical terms than aesthetic ones.

To identify a Mulsanne Speed, look for the dark finish applied to the headlights, the grille, the lower grilles of the front bumper, the side air outlet and the rear lights, on the wheels of 21 inches with exclusive design, on the logo “Speed” located below the side air outlets and on the lower door sills, and on the exhaust outlets, whose inner part features stripes that are not seen on a conventional Mulsanne.

In this version, the cabin features leather upholstery with new colour contrasts and additional stitching, as well as a diamond decorative pattern on the interior door linings and seats, and carbon fibre panels on the upper part of the doors.

The Mulsanne Speed comes as standard with the Mulliner Driving Specification package, and customers can order it in four new exterior colours (also available on the standard Mulsanne), a new upholstery colour called Camel that matches another of the same name for the bodywork, and an additional colour for the interior inserts, named Tamo Ash.

The most interesting part lies under the bonnet: the V8 engine of 6.75 litres shared by the Mulsanne and the Mulsanne Speed has been optimised by replacing the combustion system with a more efficient one and updating the variable valve timing and turbocharger management. This translates into an increase in maximum torque from 1,020 Nm to 1,100 Nm, which now reaches both versions from 1,750 rpm.

While the engine delivers the same power as before in the Mulsanne, in the new Mulsanne Speed it produces 537 CV, allowing it to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 305 km/h.

The automatic gearbox has been recalibrated to suit the new power and torque figures and incorporates a new “S” mode that keeps the engine speed above 2,000 rpm so that both turbochargers are always active.

These changes, together with the refinement of the cylinder deactivation system, have helped reduce its carbon footprint by 13% (it now emits 342 g/km of CO2) and increase its range by eighty kilometres.

But the changes do not affect only the engine; they also extend to the fully air suspension. Its new “Sport” mode increases its stiffness to reduce body roll and also readjusts the steering so that it offers more precise control and transmits more information to the driver.

Source | Bentley