With the introduction of the Bentley Brooklands in 1992 it had been announced that the production of the Bentley Mulsanne S as well as that of the Bentley Eight was discontinued. Aimed to appeal to luxury car buyers who might not have had a Bentley on top of their shopping list this new car was the outcome of Rolls-Royce's ability to respond to recession. Sales had dropped almost 50 % the previous years and forced the company to concentrate on a leaner production at Crewe (Mulliner Park Ward was relocated there and the London factory had been closed). The sporting connotations were reflected in the name Booklands - a racing circuit having been in the headlines during the 30s quite frequently with Bentleys achieving speed records and a new sports style centre console gearchange to the electronically controlled 4-speed automatic gearbox. The Bentley Brooklands benefitted from micro-computer technology which controlled areas including the suspension, instrument displays and air-conditioning and the last series from 1996 were enhanced by the fitting of a light-pressure turbocharger. In their response to demand Rolls-Royce supplied special low volume series (e.g. Bentley Brooklands Trophy Special).