By 1997, it had been ably clear for some time that the company would launch an entirely new Bentley model. The Bentley Turbo RT was considered by many as the "swan song" of the highly successful Bentley four-door saloons with an outward appearance that had little changed since in 1980, when it had made its debut with the Bentley Mulsanne. There had been cosmetic updates; significant were those from 1996 with the introduction of new higher bumpers integrated with the front spoiler and rear valance. At that time the front quarter lights had been replaced by a new style of side mirror, too. The Bentley Turbo RT was distinguished mainly by a new level of detail as regards its technical components, which had the enhanced performance of the Continental T, with the 400bhp engine that allowed acceleration from standstill to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and provided 590 lb ft (800 Nm) torque at only 2,100 rpm.

The company had good reason to sell off as many bodies and drivetrains as possible that were on stock prior to the next model generation being launched as that inevitably would result in major discounts on the ‘old’ cars. Hence they were keen to agree to a suggestion from Jack Barclay, a major dealer with premises in London. Jack Barclay arranged for 4 cars to be built that incorporated many special features and thus a tiny fraction of those cars built to Turbo RT specifications show subtle differences in their outward appearance. These cars were sold as Bentley Turbo RT 'Olympian'. Externally the Olympian could be identified by the small backlight, special five spoke sports alloy wheels and the ‘Olympian’ badge attached to the boot-lid. These cars were most exclusive, of course. Not least because each one showed subtle unique features reflecting what a client had expressed as a ‘must’ on his or her car.