An End of an Era for Bentley

by Tom Williams on September 24, 2008 · 1 comment

I can forgive you if you don’t feel much for a giant, heavy, old-fashioned British sedan going by the wayside. Bentley has announced that it is the end of the line for the Arnage, and is giving the car a proper send-off in the form of the Arnage Final Series-a limited run of 150 cars. Over the past few years, the Arnage has been a quaint fixture in Bentley’s offerings. A leftover from the days when Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars were more or less the same. In the epic battle between VW and BMW over Rolls and Bentley, VW kept the Bentley brand, the legendary factory at Crewe, and the Arnage. Owned by BMW, the Rolls Royce Silver Seraph was produced until 2002. 

Today, Bentley is best known for its Continental GT coupe and Flying Spur four door saloon. These cars are sometimes associated with “new money” types like NBA, soccer players and rappers, but they are remarkable automobiles nonetheless. The Arnage is Old Money all the way. In that regard, I am a little sad to see the old girl go. I doubt we will ever see a car of this size just drip with the type of British restraint and elegance we used to take for granted with these brands. 

The Arnage Final Series is powered by the classic 6.75 liter Turbo V-8, served by a 6-speed ZF transmission. You have on tap 500hp, and a positively mind-blowing 738 lb. ft. of torque (!). Pushing nearly 5,700lbs of car, the Final Series boasts 0-60 times of 5.5 seconds, with a top speed of 179mph. If all that power is more than you can handle, you know Bentley will coddle you in the rear quarters. The Final Series has a rear cocktail cabinet, with a special Final Series stainless steel flask and shot glasses for your drinking pleasure. 

 

As a writer, I am seldom at a loss for words, but I will leave you to contemplate the above image. The nerve of all those car companies just putting lame map pockets there!

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

Strada September 25, 2008 at 1:14 am

The word is Waftability!

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