2005 Bentley Arnage Limousine

Bentley Motors is delighted to confirm that the unique Arnage Limousine concept, created by its Bentley Mulliner coachbuilding division for the 2004 Geneva International Salon is to be put into a limited production run. Such has been the demand following its unveiling, 20 individually numbered, bespoke Arnage Limousines will be commissioned for customers looking to own a truly luxurious car that provides extraordinary levels of comfort and craftsmanship as well as valuable privacy.

In the same spirit as the coachbuilt Bentleys of the 1920s and '30s, customers will be able to commission a car to their own specification, and create a unique statement that will be valued in the future. Like the spectacular Speed Six and 8-litre Bentleys that wowed the motoring world in their Roaring Twenties heyday, the Arnage Limousine will represent the pinnacle of handbuilt, individually crafted luxury cars. Nothing can come close to its unique qualities, nothing will match its rarity and value.

OVERVIEW

- Twenty Bentley Arnage Limousines to be built following strong customer reaction to Geneva International Salon concept car.

- Cars to be designed and handbuilt by Bentley Mulliner, the company's peerless coachbuilding division.

- Arnage Limousine will be the world's only truly bespoke limousine, with each customer having access to a personal Bentley Mulliner designer and account manager.

- Customers can commission a car totally to their requirements. Starting with a ‘blank canvas', entire bespoke interiors can be specified, meaning every Arnage Limousine is unique.

- Depending on the level of specification, an Arnage Limousine can take up to 6000 man hours to build.

- Armour protection can be specified as an integral part of the build process, ensuring engineering integrity and no restrictions on the car's other options .

- Arnage Limousine chassis based upon Arnage R with uprated suspension and reinforced subframes. Powered by legendary 6.75-litre V8 Bentley engine developing 400bhp and 616lb ft/835Nm of torque.

- Limousine wheelbase is a total of 3566mm (140.4 inches) providing vast interior space as well as rear-seat privacy thanks to deeper ‘D'-pillar.

- Production of the Bentley Arnage Limousine will begin in February 2005.

- The price of the new Arnage Limousine in the UK will start at £270,000,

Bentley Arnage Limousine in detail

The decision to begin the limited production run is the result of strong customer demand following the unveiling of the Arnage Limousine in Geneva in March 2004. Those customers recognised in this beautiful Bentley the opportunity to own an authentic, coachbuilt limousine that blends that brilliant craftsmanship with an almost limitless variety of specification.

The Arnage Limousine is a car that could only be produced by the world's most accomplished luxury carmaker, Bentley Motors, whose coachbuilding division Bentley Mulliner is simply second to none. Unlike other limousine builders, whose customers are forced to choose from a limited list of options and specifications, Bentley Mulliner provides bespoke answers to any question a Bentley customer chooses to ask.

Echoing Bentley's acclaimed past – when customers would personally commission a coachbuilder such as HJ Mulliner to design and fit a body to a Bentley chassis – the process of ordering and owning an Arnage Limousine will entail the same degree of creativity and attention to detail. It is this unique service which makes an extended wheelbase Arnage the limousine of choice for those looking to create a car unlike any other.

When a customer decides to order an Arnage Limousine they will receive a level of service commensurate with their status as a buyer of the world's most exclusive limousine and have access to a personal team of account managers and designers. At the start of the process, customers will be offered a ‘blank canvas' by Bentley Mulliner on which to express a vision of their ideal, bespoke car. Each customer will be able to communicate directly with the factory through their personal account manager, while a Bentley Mulliner designer will visit their home or office during the pre-production phase to assess the prospective design criteria and assist in interpreting their requirements for such a highly specified car.

By starting with this ‘blank canvas', Arnage Limousine customers will be able to choose between palatial interiors or fully-integrated mobile offices. The scope for personalisation is as wide as the customer's imagination and whilst the concept is still in the virtual world of computer-aided design, styling sketches and renderings, Bentley Mulliner can be as flexible and creative as that vision demands.

Following delivery, customers will be visited on an annual basis by a factory representative, who will undertake a full inspection of their car. This service is offered for the duration of the Arnage Limousine's warranty.

Extended cabin means total luxury, complete privacy

The Arnage Limousine is designed for those who value their privacy and are not prepared to compromise when on the road. By widening the ‘D'-pillar behind the rear doors, the Arnage Limousine's designers have fashioned a deeply recessed seat area that provides a safe and shielding cabin for passengers, as well as significantly enhanced rear legroom. In addition, a smaller rear ‘privacy' window adds to the feeling of seclusion and ensures back-seat passengers are kept well away from prying eyes.

To create that broad ‘D'-pillar and enlarged interior, the Arnage Limousine has been designed with a generous wheelbase measuring a total of 3566mm (140.4 inches). This ensures that passengers will enjoy all the benefits of a longer cabin. To retain the car's aesthetic visual balance, an extra 200mm (8 inches) is located in the ‘D'-pillar alone, a further 200mm is added to the rear doors and a final 50mm (2 inches) in the front doors. This process was carried out entirely by hand, a challenge that could only be attempted by Mulliner's brilliant craftsmen and women, according to Ashley Wickham, head of projects, Bentley Mulliner:

'The Arnage Limousine is the epitome of Mulliner craftsmanship,' he says. 'Everything you can see – from the beautiful line of the new D-pillar to the stainless steel sills – was shaped by hand. That's why a Mulliner-built Bentley can take up to 6000 man hours to complete. It is a labour of love.'

A perfect appearance is not just important for our passengers, it is imperative for our cars as well. Aesthetic purity in design and shape has always been the hallmark of Bentley cars and, as has been recently observed by many influential commentators, the bigger the car, the harder it is to retain a degree of subtlety and understatement. The Arnage Limousine, however, achieves that visual perfection, succeeding in being stately and imposing without appearing vulgar or ostentatious.

By evenly distributing the extended areas within the car's wheelbase, the graceful balance of the classic Arnage silhouette is retained. To round off its aesthetic impact, the original Geneva International Salon Arnage Limousine is finished in dual tone paintwork, with a Royal Burgundy cabin, bonnet and boot sections on top of black side-panels and nose. Unique stainless steel sills and bumpers act as a visual counterpoint to the two-tone colour scheme.

To emphasise Bentley Mulliner's desire to start with a blank canvas for its customers, the interior of the Arnage Limousine shown at Geneva has been kept deliberately restrained. A classic combination of linen and burgundy hide is mixed with a dark burr walnut veneer, the effect being to produce a cabin that is light, spacious and open to interpretation as customers see fit.

Technology under the skin and at your fingertips

Although customers will start with a blank canvas, ‘Number One' in the limited run of Arnage Limousines does have certain special features designed to illustrate just what Bentley Mulliner can offer. Split rear seats will come as standard but in the concept car these have been replaced with a broad, rear bench that provides an inviting and sumptuous place to relax, while optional electrically-powered rear foot rests that slide backwards and upwards to support your calves allow passengers to recline in total comfort. Lastly, a rear DVD entertainment system is fitted, with twin 12-inch screens mounted in the rear of the front seats. All these options and, of course, many more will be available on every Arnage Limousine.

Again, the imperative is providing choice. Our entertainment and communications technology can take the form of individual LCD televisions or a single wide-screen plasma unit that can be stowed from view when not required. The rear compartment can be provided with options such as an on-board computer with Internet access, a cooled refreshment cabinet or cigar humidor.

Bentley Mulliner's expertise in bespoke interiors does not mean attention is taken away from the critical design and engineering requirements of such a complex car. As with the remainder of the Arnage range, the Limousine benefits from all the modifications announced for the 2005 model year, meaning it carries the revised front end design introduced to lend Arnage an even stronger visual identity within the Bentley model line-up. Twin individual headlights reflect the styling direction evolved for the Continental GT Coupe and the bonnet line is raised to give a more purposeful appearance.

The Arnage's interior centre console is also completely revised with new, unique switchgear for the air-conditioning controls and repositioned switches for the electric windows and seat and mirror adjusters. The satellite navigation system is re-engineered to give a more integrated, attractive appearance on top of the dashboard.

Bentley's renowned 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine provides the Arnage Limousine with the sort of performance you would expect from any of our cars. The Bentley hallmarks of phenomenal power (400bhp) and colossal low-down torque (616lb ft/835Nm) mean the Arnage Limousine will accelerate to 60mph in just 6.7 seconds. Despite its remarkable power output, the V8 engine also meets stringent Euro IV and US LEV emissions standards.

To allow the car to cope with such impressive performance, the Arnage Limousine's chassis is based upon the Arnage's formidable underpinnings with strengthening where required. Double wishbone independent front and rear suspension with uprated springs and reinforced subframes works in unison with the computer-controlled adaptive electro-hydraulic damping system (ARC) to provide a refined ride at all times and high levels of grip when needed. Uprated 8-cylinder front and 4-cylinder rear brake callipers operating on ventilated alloy brake discs produce awesome stopping power time and again.

To ensure complete security on top of unparalleled privacy, the Arnage Limousine may be specified with armour protection. When armouring is specified, it is the first, and not the last task to be performed upon the bare bodyshell. This brings several advantages. It allows the whole body shell including armour to benefit from comprehensive anti-corrosion protection and paint top-coats. It ensures engineering integrity, allowing armour and energy absorbing materials to be placed precisely where needed for optimum protection. It enables weight to be distributed in a way that makes the least effect upon handling and ride; and above all, it ensures that the protection is discreet and, to the casual observer, all but invisible. As the armour protection is an integral part of the car, the full range of Bentley interior features and options can also be specified without restriction.

Mulliner – a coachbuilding history like no other

'Bentley Mulliner has one purpose – to provide our customers with the Bentley that they want, not the Bentley we want to sell them,' says Derek Davies, brand director, Bentley Mulliner. 'Many of our customers are used to a certain level of service from other car companies, but without fail they are amazed by what we can do to meet their needs. Other carmakers may claim to offer thousands of choices but Bentley Mulliner's option list is genuinely infinite – we will do whatever it takes to provide the bespoke car. Put simply, no two Bentley Mulliner cars are the same because no two customers are the same.'

That extraordinary level of service has been part of the Bentley Mulliner package for decades. The Mulliner name has been synonymous with the finest coachbuilding traditions for nearly 250 years, when it built horse-drawn coaches for the Royal Mail. In the automotive era it turned its attentions to producing some of the finest and most famous bodies for many legendary Bentley cars.

In fact, 2004 marks the 80th anniversary of HJ Mulliner's first work for the company, when the firm produced a Mulliner Bentley for the 1924 London Olympia Show. Its most famous creation, however, was the R-Type Continental of 1952, the fastest four-seat sports car of its era, and the inspiration for today's Continental GT. Indeed, of all the Bentleys in the company's history, it is safe to say that the R-Type Continental stands alongside the original 3-litre and Speed Six as the most important and influential of all cars to wear the winged ‘B'. Their blend of power and grace, allied with an unrivalled status as the luxury sporting saloons of choice, made them the iconic Bentleys of the 1920s, '30s and '50s.

Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars bought Mulliner in 1959, merging it with the Park Ward concern to form its own coachbuilding division, called Mulliner Park Ward in 1961, and it is this company from which today's Bentley Mulliner is directly descended. The company remained in London, building the likes of the Phantom V1 and Rolls-Royce Corniche, before moving to Crewe in 1993. In 2002, in recognition of the ever-increasing importance of coachbuilding to Bentley, the rapidly expanding organisation was renamed Bentley Mulliner and charged with answering the ever more varied and challenging demands of the 21st century Bentley customer. It's an approach that seems to be working: last year saw Bentley Mulliner increase its turnover by 105 per cent and 60 percent of all Arnages ordered came with some form of Mulliner personalisation.

Bentley Mulliner currently employs around 130 world-class experts including coachbuilders, trimmers, cabinet makers, electronics specialists and fitters. All work in a dedicated workshop within Bentley's Crewe factory that includes its own wood and trim shops, as well as steel fabrication and tool making areas. A limited number of features can be installed in the main factory as cars pass through the standard production process, but usually, once a Mulliner car's basic structure has been assembled, it passes over to the Mulliner workshop for completion. The time taken to create a Mulliner Bentley clearly depends on the extent of the customer's wish list. An Arnage Limousine with a high level of unique cabinetry and technological infrastructure could easily take upwards of 6000 man-hours to complete. By contrast, a mass produced limousine from a mainstream manufacturer might be built by robots in less than one hundredth of the time.

That said, Bentley Mulliner is just as comfortable with less extensive commissions – many owners simply want a few small touches to personalise their car, and to put their own signature on it. The popularity of this almost infinitely flexible approach is proven by the fact that half of all Bentley Arnages benefit from some degree of Mulliner attention.

The Bentley Mulliner Arnage Limousine is just the latest in a long line of remarkable cars crafted by the world's most respected coachbuilder. In an era of automation and ‘just-in-time' production lines, the car is an ideal reminder that the rare combination of luxury, technology and craftsmanship can still be found in one bespoke package.

by Bentley Press

by Bentley

Reinforcing its position as the only manufacturer to offer genuine coach built commissions, and following a year of significant growth, Bentley Mulliner is proud to reveal a new Arnage Limousine, built in direct response to the wishes of Bentley customers around the world.

Unlike cars such as the State Limousine or Bentley's popular high roof Arnage which are intended to present their occupants for ceremonial purposes, the new limousine has been designed for those who value their privacy above all else.

Instantly recognisable from other Bentley limousines by its broad D-pillar aft of the rear doors, the new limousine allows its rear seat passengers to sit deeply recessed within a unique and luxurious interior, well away from prying eyes's natural sight-line. Not only does this afford a considerable degree of security and seclusion, it also provides passengers with a beautifully cosseting environment, reminiscent of the great Bentley Speed Six and 8-litre limousines of the 1920s and early '30s.

One look at the limousine in profile shows how the styling changes have transformed the visual feel of the Arnage. The first and most important modification is the addition of a 450mm (18 inches) section of bodywork within the wheelbase and, of course, fully engineered chassis modifications to accommodate its extra weight. As customers for such a car will almost invariably travel in the back, all this extra wheelbase has been given over to enhancing room in the rear with 200mm (8 inches) of the extra length alone located in the D-pillar.

Creating such a car is a considerable challenge in terms of engineering, styling and craftsmanship but the commissioning and execution of precisely such vehicles Bentley Mulliner thrives on. By having a team of world class experts operating as a dedicated department within Bentley Motors, Bentley Mulliner can respond with extraordinary speed to satisfy its customers' desires. For this reason, creating a car of the new limousine's complexity - which might take another manufacturer three years or more- has been done from scratch by Mulliner in little more than six months.

The result is a car that not only offers peerless comfort and a sumptuous, spacious rear cabin; it is also aesthetically pleasing from every angle, inside and out. For while others may be able to make cars as large as the new limousine, the real skill comes from how the finished article appears, the ambience it achieves and the way it is perceived. The limousine is a large and majestic car but it is also subtle, discreet and avoids ostentation and vulgarity. It is the kind of car that cannot be conjured out of nowhere: it is the result not only of painstaking design and engineering, but also the innate understanding of such cars that has been handed down the generations at Crewe. This personalisation is the commodity that cannot be bought or acquired and, among the world's luxury car makers, it exists only at Bentley.

Inside, the cabin of the limousine has been kept deliberately restrained, discreet and, it is fair to say, minimalist in execution. It would, of course, have been possible to fill the car with all manner of wonderful examples of Bentley Mulliner's unique skills but even the most comprehensively equipped car could only give a glimpse of Bentley Mulliner's capabilities. Instead, the idea that inspired the limousine's interior was that it should appear as a blank canvas to illustrate the fact that, within the bounds of legality and unlike any other car company, the interior of the car is the choice of the customer alone. Once it has finished its public duties, it will return to Bentley Mulliner to be equipped according to its new owner's specification.

In the meantime, twin, 12in DVD screens fitted into the rear of the front seats will provide prospective customers with the information and inspiration needed to whet the imagination's appetite and Bentley Mulliner specialists will be on hand to answer questions and offer advice.

'In the main,' says Bentley Mulliner director Richard Charlesworth, 'we are here to listen and respond. Our relationship with the customer is not like those of other car companies where you are told what you can have and you make your colour and materials selection accordingly. That approach puts a very definite limit on what can be achieved - convenient for the car company but less satisfactory for the customer. We have no limits - if it can be done, within all normal bounds, we will do it.'

Some luxury car companies are fond of quoting statistics concerning how many option permutations it is possible to choose from, a number Bentley Mulliner is delighted to be unable to provide as it is, effectively infinite. With a car like the new limousine, Bentley Mulliner will provide the chassis, engine and body (though even these can all also be modified to suit customer choice) but the look and feel of the interior can be as personal to the customer's wishes as he or she likes. 'When specifying a limousine,' says Charlesworth, 'it would be quite typical for a customer to come to Crewe and spend two days talking to our designers and engineers about their requirements. Many also choose to see our cabinet makers, seamstresses and metal workers going about their business with a dedication, care and love for their work that has all but disappeared from an increasingly time-hungry industry.'

Other features of the new limousine include an unusually small rear windscreen to enhance the feeling of privacy inside and electric footrests that slide back and up to provide perfect support for your calves when relaxing.

Bentley Mulliner has also made use of the space inside the extended D-pillar. By carefully choosing softly padded but supportive substrates behind the pillar's upholstery, Mulliner has created the perfect resting place for a sleepy head. Specially extended rear headrests also help cradle the cranium. New illuminated vanity mirrors have also been designed into the D-pillar, providing passengers with the perfect way to check their appearance before leaving the privacy of the car.

To enhance further comfort, the rear door has been redesigned too, to reflect the fact that the passengers will now be somewhat further away thanks to the 200mm (8 inches) extension to the body between the rear door and wheel. In particular the armrest has been reworked and extended rearward while a further rest acts as a continuation of the armrest inside the D-pillar.

Naturally, the limousine also benefits from all the modifications announced for the 2005 model year Arnage. These enhancements are designed to supplement the extensive mechanical changes introduced with the Series Two Arnage in 2002 and improve the appearance, comfort and ease of use of all Arnages.

Most notable from the outside is the revised frontal treatment of the car which gives the Arnage a much stronger visual identity within the Bentley family, a styling direction evolved for the Continental GT Coupe. Twin individual headlamps are fitted and the bonnet line raised to give a more purposeful appearance. New bumpers are fitted and telescopic headlamp washer units replace the previous bumper mounted items. The radiator grille has a more integrated appearance and straight grille vanes are once more available.

Inside the centre console has been completely revised with new, unique switchgear for the air-conditioning controls, repositioned controls for the window winders, seats and mirror adjusters. The satellite navigation system has been re-engineered to give a more integrated, attractive appearance on top of the dashboard.

Powering the limousine is of course Bentley's legendary 6.75-litre turbocharged V8. Recently re-engineered from the ground up, the 400bhp powerplant offers performance aplenty and mighty low down torque, the hallmark of all Bentleys.

This new Bentley Arnage limousine is proof positive that the company remains unique in the way it listens and responds to its customers and in its ability to provide them with limousines with an unrivalled blend of luxury, elegance, technology and coachbuilding. It is a tradition that has survived since Bentley's earliest days and has been in practice at Crewe since its very first car, a Bentley MkVI, was produced 58 years ago. No other car manufacturer can approach this wealth of tradition, nor match the skills that result. Crewe is the home of handcraftsmanship, and Bentley Mulliner's new Limousine, its latest extraordinary creation.

by Bentley

The luxurious Bentley Arnage was debuted at the Sarthe Circuit in France on the 26th of April of 1998. This was considered fitting because this was the racecourse where Bentley's had finished first place in the legendary '24 Hours of Le Mans' at least five times during their history. The name Arnage was taken from the challenging bend at the famous track. The Arnage measuring 197 inches long, 75 inches wide, and featured a curb weight of more than 2.5 metric tons. At one point, it was the fastest and most powerful four-door saloon on the market.

The first of a new generation of sporting Bentleys, the Arnage featured great mid-range pulling power alongside superb levels of refinement. A large luxury vehicle produced by Bentley Motors in Crewe England, the Arnage was introduced in 98 and ran until 2009. Introduced in the spring of 1998 alongside it's Rolls-Royce branded sibling; the Silver Seraph, both were the first brand new designs for the two marques since 1980. Completely breaking from tradition, these new vehicles had bodies constructed at the Crewe factory, with its internal combustion engines built elsewhere.

Some Bentley enthusiasts were unhappy that the vehicle lost the traditional 6750cc V8; a powerplant that could trace its history back to the 1950's, it instead featured a 4.4-liter turbocharged V8 engine from BMW. The BMW engine, with Cosworth-engineered twin-turbo installation, was an excellent unit that delivered tons of power and torque. Diehard Bentley devotees weren't pacified through until September of 1999 when the Volkswagen Group, Bentley's parent company, offered the huge Rolls-Royce 6.8-liter V8 in a new version of the Arnage.

In 1998 during the takeover battle between BMW and Volkswagen Group for possession of Rolls Royce and Bentley Motors, BMW threatened to halt the supply of their engines if Volkswagen Group won. This threat was later withdrawn when BMW acquired the right to manufacture the Rolls Royce marque at a new location and it was obvious that Volkswagen couldn't accept the risks associated with having their long-term business partner as a rival. In response, Volkswagen got ready their old 6.75 liter 16-valve engine from the Turbo R, which they mated to an outdated 4-speed automatic. Unfortunately, this combination made for a thirsty engine that wouldn't meet Government-imposed emission standards without quick modifications.

The BMW-powered version was called the Green Label, while the Rolls-Royce engine model was dubbed the Red Label. Both Red and Green Label vehicles received stiffer body shells along with larger wheels and brakes. 2000 model year vehicles were fitted with more powerful brakes while the Green Label model received the 18-inch wheels that were displayed by the more powerful Red Label variant. Because of the extra weight of the British engine, the stiffer body shell was a priority, the same with the larger brakes. Unfortunately though despite the larger brakes, the performance only worsened with the additional weight of 6.75 engine. The 1999 Green Label had a braking performance from 70-0 at 172 feet while the Arnage T's performance was 182 feet from 70-0.

Other revisions included adding park distance control to the front and rear, making a pop up Alpine navigation system standard, and increasing the rear-seat legroom. The steering rack was also modified to reduce steering effort at low speed and adding power-folding exterior mirrors. The headlight lens covers transitioned from glass to plastic.

Bentley's public relations department hinted at customer demand for the reason behind the reversal of the previous two-valve per cylinder 6.75-liter unit for the Red Label. Most consumers accepted this, but few criticized the BMW motor as lacking in power and dull. The BMW-powered Arnage was more up-to-date, more fuel-efficient and featured 32 valves with double overhead camshafts, twin-turbo and Bosch engine management technology, rather than 16 valves, single turbo, and a pushrod motor with considerably less advanced engine management.

Less than a second of the 0-60 mph time was shaved from the Red Label's growth in motive power. The BMW's twin-turbo unit did continue to remain more responsive and nimble from the driver's perspective due to its DOHC engine being more responsive along with better weight balance and nearly 600lb lower curb weight.

The Green Label was sturdier and more reliable as well as being cheaper to service in the long run. The BMW engine's output drawback was the ZF 5HP30 transmission; which wasn't rated to handle more than 413 lb/ft of torque that the twin-turbo engine was tuned to produce.

The production of the aged 6.75 liter Roll's Royce engine was outsourced for use in the continued Azure and Continental models to Cosworth, so going back to the old standby engine was an easy choice for the company. The Red Label model went back to the old V8 engine that featured torque of 835-newton meters with a single Garrett T4 turbocharger. At this time, it was the highest amount of torque for a four-door vehicle. The GM-sourced four-speed 4L80-E automatic transmission also made a reappearance.

The Green Label was very quietly dropped shortly afterward in 2000.

The Arnage RL was a long-wheelbase model introduced in 2001. It was 9.8 inches longer than the original Arnage with the extra length at the rear doors and its C-pillar. The RL model had rear-wheel butts a few inches further back than the standard Arnage model whose wells butt up against the rear door-frames. The effect was a larger rear area on the interior of the vehicle. Sometimes dubbed 'double-cut' in the U.S., the type of saloon stretch was named this was because of the two main points where the car is extended. Each Arnage RL was individually customized for the buyer.

Arnage RL wheelbases ranged from 131.3 inches to 140.4 inches, and even sometimes 151.3 inches. The longest wheelbase version, the 151-inch version had its length stretched between the front and rear doors instead of at the C-pillar at the rear doors, American limousine-style. The large car handled well due to the suspension being returned for the added weight. Many Arnage RL limousines were ordered with bulletproof elements, reflecting the clientele of the vehicle. For a hefty price tag starting at $243,000, a full B6 package was available which offers protection from grenades and assault weapons. As of 2006, the Arnage RL continues to remain in production.

The RL featured a completely reworked version of the old 6.75-liter V8 engine. Over half of the engine's parts were brand new, with the old Zytech system being replaced with Bosch Motronic ME7.1.1 engine management and two small Garrett T3 turbochargers replacing the single large T4. This new engine was said to be capable of meeting all future emissions requirements and developed 405 metric horsepower and 835-newton meters. Similar to the originally Cosworth-BMW unit developed for the 98 Arnage, the RL was powered by a modern twin-turbo unit with a state-of-the-art electronic management system.

In 2002 Bentley updated the Red Label as the series two Arnage R. The Arnage T was the more sporting model and was introduced in contrast to the Arnage R. Same with the RL the Arnage R features two Garrett T3 turbochargers. It also claimed to be the most powerful road warrior at its debut at the Detroit Motor Show in 2002. There were twin-turbochargers, like with the Arnage R, but they were tuned to develop 465 metric horsepower and 875-newton meters. The T's top speed was 170 mpg and could achieve 0-60mph in just 5.5 seconds. All R & T models share the same 122.7 in wheelbase. In 2005 the Arnage range was updated and the front end now resembled the new Continental GT.

In honor of the Queens Golden Jubilee in 2002, the Bentley State Limousine was an official vehicle created by Bentley Motors Limited. Only two were built. The car's twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V8 engine was converted from Bentley's Arnage R version to produce 296 kW; 397 bhp and 616 lb/ft or torque.

For 2007 the Arnage R received low-inertia Mitsubishi units designed to enhance engine response that replaced the Garrett turbochargers. This model year's engine was joined to a variant of the six-speed ZF automatic transmission found in the Continental range. The engine capacity was increased from 411.8 cu in to 412.6 cu in. Due to the new tuning, the horsepower was bumped up to 500 (368 kW; 493 bhp) and 1,000-newton meters in the Arnage T, while the Arnage R featured 460 metric horsepower and 875-newton meters. The Arnage T was performance-oriented and could reach 0-60 mph in just 5.2 seconds with a top speed of 179 mph.

For 2006 Bentley commemorated their 60 years of production at the Crewe factory with a unique Diamond Series Arnage. A total of 60 vehicles were planned, mostly for the United States. The vehicles featured diamond-quilted leather seats, diamond wood inlays, special 19-inch alloy wheels, a stainless steel front bumper, and Union Jack badges on the front wings.

Two years later in September of 2008, it was announced that Arnage production would cease the following year, once a final run of 150 'Final Series' models had been completed. The Final Series included the Arnage T powertrain and the twin-turbo 6.75 V8 engine that produced 500 metric horsepower and approximately 1,000-newton meters of torque. Through a six-speed ZF automatic transmission, the powertrain delivers torque to the rear wheels.

On the exterior, the Final Series featured special 20-inch alloy wheels, body-colored headlamp bezels, a retractable 'Flying B' mascot, dark tint matrix upper and lower grilles, lower front wing vents, special badging, and a 'Jewel-style' fuel filler cap. Mulliner designed the interior of the car and featured Final Series kick plates, special chrome trim, drilled alloy pedals, two picnic tables and a rear cocktail cabinet. This model also came with a premium 1,000-watt audio system by Naim Audio and came with four distinct umbrellas.

Forty-Two exterior color schemes were offered with this model, twenty-five interior hides, and three wood veneers. Customers could also specify bespoke color- matching offered by Bentley. The Arnage Final Series marks the 50th Anniversary of Bentley's V8 engine. The 2009 version of the engine continues to be loosely based on the same design that was introduced way back in the 1959 Bentley S2. Though the 2008 engine shares no identical parts with the 1950 model, the final common item having been replaced in 2005. Advertising of the engine when first introduced described the power and torque as 'adequate'. Twin-turbocharged, the all-aluminum alloy engine delivers 0-60mph in just 5.3 seconds. The car weighs 2.5 tons.

In 2009 a replacement model called the Bentley Mulsanne was debuted in August at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Monterey, California. Because of separate parent companies, the design of the Mulsanne will now be completely separate and independent from Rolls-Royce cars. Rolls-Royce is held by BMW and Bentley is held by the Volkswagen Group.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley_Arnage

http://www.compucars.co.uk/car-reviews/bentley/review/?arnage

by Jessican Donaldson