Has anyone ever owned one of these. Any info you can share like parts cost, difficulty of repairs, etc? I am particularly interested in an early to mid 90's Brooklands or Turbo R.

 

Naturally there is a Forum similar to this one, which you should investigate if have not already done so. You do not have to be an owner to join RROC, the owners club is a great source of advice.

I suggest you find a well regarded RR shop "near" you and visit it. You will need a good one. Speak with the owner and look around. I found mine by asking owners at some local foreign car shows who they use. Turns out my guy is an advisor to the RROC and has been a blessing.

The parts will make Jag parts look reasonably priced. Labor rated will depend on where you are located. While better than some of the earlier models. the complexity of some of the systems is mind boggling for those of us who grew up on American cars. Yes maintenance is expensive!! You can easily spend $2-3k on routine maintenance annually; and much more for a serious repair.

Having said all that, they are very good cars. They are not sporty like a Jag, but do offer a restrained sportiness all their own. You will learn some new car lingo, like PMC (proper motor car) and "failure to proceed" (it wouldn't start). The regional shows are quite unique and worth attending.

 

The example in your photo has Mulliner vents in the wings so the overall specification is likely to be higher than the standard Mulsanne Turbo R.

I owned a Bentley Continental R which is basically a Turbo R with a coupe body at more than twice the price.



I had the car for 10 years and covered 25K miles, mostly in mainland Europe. I keep detailed fuel and maintenance records for all my vehicles - the cost per mile was 1.84 UKP which does NOT include depreciation.

A major consideration for the new or nearly new buyer is massive depreciation but that is no longer a factor with a 90's vehicle. They are now very cheap to buy for the simple reason they are still very expensive to run. Heavy cars - that performance drinks fuel at an amazing rate which is expensive in Europe. They are also heavy on tyres, suspension and brakes. Think at least twice Jaguar costs for these items. You can easily spend 5000 UKP on a brake or suspension overhaul. A neglected example will be an absolute money pit.

If you aren't familiar with driving a Royce or a Bentley of that era, you will find them "quaint". The technology is from the 50's and a massive contrast to anything else from the 80's and more so from this millennium. I thoroughly enjoyed my Continental R but wouldn't swap it for the Continental GT I have now.

Graham