Meet Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan: First Black Man To Own Bentley Mulsanne

In March 2014 Forbes estimated his net worth as US$300 million. Obateru is ranked by Forbes magazine as the second richest King in Africa and the richest in Nigeria. He surpassed King Olubuse II, the late Ooni of Ife, with $225 million and the Swaziland King Mswati III by over $200 million to become Africa’s second richest king in 2014 behind Mohammed VI of Morocco. He has a custom built 2012 Rolls Royce similar to that of Queen Elizabeth II and on January 14, 2014, in an interview with Daily Post, he said, “I have a $1 million watch, I use the same type of car like the Queen of England”.

Obateru is the first black person to buy the 2014 model of Bentley automobile. On July 2013, in an interview with The Sun, Obateru said: “The first time I saw a car was 1961 in Sapele. At that time, Sir Festus Okotie-Eboh had a hotel in Sapele, Waterside Hotel. It was the first time I saw a hotel in my life. We used to describe hotels as bars. That was the first time I knew the difference between a hotel and a bar.” The monarch’s love for cars can not be overemphasized as he is passionately and crazy about cars, The Olugbo as he fondly called is been reported to be the first Nigerian to a Bentley Mulsanne. We decided to take a look at this sleek, powerful and luxury car so as to ascertain why would a king decided to have it at all cost. Read below.

Introduction

The Mulsanne is a thoroughly modern full-size sedan that captures the essence of the Bentley marque. It is elegant yet distinctly sporting in character, delivering effortless performance while within its sumptuous cabin, advanced technology sits discreetly with handcrafted luxury.

Recent changes

For the latest model year, Bentley has split the Mulsanne lineup into three distinct models named Mulsanne, Mulsanne Speed, and Mulsanne Extended-Wheelbase. All three variants receive a facelift.

Overview

The style of the Mulsanne is a unique fusion of sportiness, coach-built elegance and solidity. Echoing the Bentley S -Type of the 1950s, the Mulsanne features a bold frontal design dominated by the traditional Bentley matrix grille and highly prominent, classic round inner headlamps with chrome surrounds, flanked by two, smaller outboard lamp clusters, all featuring the latest in lighting technology. The iconic ‘Flying B’ retractable radiator mascot is available as an option.

Power to Spare

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Bentley if it didn’t also offer an equally impressive and powerful engine: enter the 6.75-liter V8. Sharing its displacement and minor components with the legendary and historic “six-and-three-quarters” eight-cylinder used in previous Bentley models, the engine otherwise is totally revised for more power and improved fuel economy. The pushrod mill also features two new control systems: cam phasing and, a first for the ultra-luxury sector, a variable displacement setup that can effectively turn the V8 into a four-cylinder to save fuel during light-throttle cruising situations.The big motor is capable of producing a prodigious 505 horsepower and 752 lb-ft of torque. It is matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission that can be controlled with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Despite the fuel saving measures, the Bentley’s firepower and mass can’t cheat physics, and fuel economy checks in at 11 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway.

Craftsmanship and Technology Inside

The Mulsanne’s cabin offers both old-world opulence and the latest in technology features. It takes over 90 hours to complete, and is finished in high-quality mirror-matched wood veneers, leather hides and hand-finished stainless steel, as well as new touches such as beautiful ‘glass’ switches. The upper dashboard houses an 8-inch multimedia screen, positioned unobtrusively behind an electrically operated veneered door, while below sits a stylish, leather-lined media player stowage drawer with connectors for iPod, USB, Mini USB and 3.5mm aux input. A 14-speaker audio system with Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and 6-CD autochanger is provided as standard while the Naim for Bentley premium audio system may be specified as an option. This forging of two British luxury brands provides customers with the world’s most powerful production in-car amplifier with 2200 Watts, eight dedicated DSP modes and 20 custom-made speakers.

Mulsanne Speed

As its name implies, the Mulsanne Speed is a performance-focused variant of the ultra-luxurious Mulsanne sedan.The Mulsanne Speed is powered by an evolution of the Mulsanne’s 6¾-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 530 horsepower and a prodigious 811 lb-ft. of torque from just 1,750 rpm. Linked to a ZF-built eight-speed automatic transmission, the eight-cylinder sends the 5,900-pound behemoth from zero to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 190 mph.

Specifications

General

Body Style: Sedan

Size: Fullsize

Market Segment: Luxury

Weight: 5919 lbs

Exterior

Length: 219.5 in.

Width: 75.8 in.

Height: 59.9 in.

Wheelbase: 128.6 in.

Ground Clearance: TBD

Front Track: 63.2 in.

Rear Track: 65.0 in.

Weight Distribution: TBD

Drag Coefficient: 0.33

Interior – General

Seats: 5

Passenger Volume: TBD

Cargo Volume: 15.6 cu. ft.

Cargo Volume (Seats Folded): TBD

Interior – Front Row

Volume: TBD

Leg Room: 41.9 in.

Head Room: 40.1 in.

Shoulder Room: TBD

Hip Room: TBD

Interior – Second Row

Volume: TBD

Leg Room: 42.9 in.

Head Room: 38.1 in.

Shoulder Room: TBD

Hip Room: TBD

Propulsion

Fuel Type: Gas

Engine Type: 6.8L V8

Power: 505 hp @ 4000 rpm

Torque: 752 lb-ft @ 1750 rpm

Transmission: 8-Speed Automatic

Highway Fuel Economy: 18 mpg

City Fuel Economy: 11 mpg

Forced Induction: Turbocharger

Direct Injection: No

Chassis

Layout: Rear Wheel Drive

Front Suspension: Double Wishbone

Rear Suspension: Multi-Link

Wheels

Front: 20″ Aluminum

Front Tires: 265/45 ZR20

Rear: 20″ Aluminum

Rear Tires: 265/45 ZR20

Trailering & Hauling

Trailer Weight: TBD

Payload: N/A

Tongue Weight: TBD

Source