The Bentley Turbo R remains an icon of its era – fast, impressive and full of decadent luxury. It was the car which saved Bentley, as suddenly there was again a car on the market which actually deserved the name Bentley. It's a high performance car, based on the Mulsanne (which was only a rebadged Silver Spirit), and came with many improvements and a much stronger engine. The "R" stood for "roadholding", and that is exactly what it does with the reviewed suspension, wider tyres and alloy wheels.

This example is in unremarkable original condition, with only 18.850 km on the clocks. Delivered new to a Japanese collector in 1989, with the fuel injected engine and optional long wheel base (it is actually a Turbo RL, of which only 772 examples were made in LHD form). Finished in the gorgeous colour combination of Dark Oyster Metallic with full leather interior in St-James Red hide, it looks absolutely fabulous. I bought the car at the beginning of this year, and had it completely serviced. At the same time new Avon Turbospeed tyres were fitted. the steering rack was overhauled and the suspension aligned. After more then 2000 enjoyable kilometers driving this Turbo R - including a recent trip to Goodwood Revival - I can confirm that this Bentley really is a fantastic machine. It is fast, reliable and incredibly comfortable. A proper iron fist in a velvet glove ! Every single button works, and this car feels like it only left the Crewe factory just recently.

The Bentley Turbo R has significantly increased in value across the last decade, and looks set to continue its upward trend, though they're actually still a remarkable bargain. Not only that, but they're beguiling and fun – they really do handle well for their size, they’re ferociously quick, and they make their owners feel like few other cars can. The Turbo R can rightly be called an icon, and probably one of the last true Bentleys.

Choose a good one, and don’t be scared to spend more on purchase for the best example, as it will turn out to be the cheapest to run on the longer term. As an investment, you can do little better than a Bentley Turbo R and you will get a lot of car for the money. This example ticks all the right boxes, as there are probably not many better ones around. A testdrive with this impressive motorcar will only confirm.