2004 Bentley Arnage

The 2005 Bentley Arnage is a luxurious four-door Grand Touring sedan powered by a twin-turbocharged V8 engine offering 450 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque. Zero-to-sixty MPH takes a mere 5.5 seconds and has a top speed of 168 mph (270 km/h). It rides on standard 19-inch wheel rims with a new, seven-spoke design. The five-spoke 19-inch rims available as an option on the Arnage T continued that role for the Arnage. All wheels for the Arnage can be specified with a chrome finish.

Updates to the suspension are oriented towards improving handling, offering better body movements while cornering. It provides predictable characteristics with proper control of weight transference.

Bentley Motors unveiled the Arnage in April 1998 at Le Sarthe circuit, home of the Le Mans 24-Hour Race. It received an all-new V8 power unit, but when Bentley became part of the Volkswagen group, some models were given the 'old' 6.75-liter OHV V8, beginning with the Arnage Red Label in 1999.

The heavily revised Arnage R was introduced in March 2002 at the Geneva Salon, replacing the Arnage Red Label. It shed the original single Garrett T4 turbocharged in favor of a pair of smaller T3s providing superior throttle response and higher catalytic converter temperatures for reduced emissions. The Bosch Motronic engine management system was also new. Power rose to 405 bhp and the top speed was achieved at 155 mph (250 km/h).

The Arnage T arrived in 2002 with 457 horsepower beneath its long and graceful bonnet, making it the most powerful road-going Bentley ever built at the time of its introduction. Zero-to-sixty mph took 5.5 seconds and the top speed at 170 mph (274 km/h).

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2005