Bentley Arnage Final Series
- Handcrafted at Bentley, Crewe, Arnage Final Series is an exclusive run of 150 cars, celebrating the last of Arnage
- Combining the performance of the T with the refinement of the R, Arnage Final Series is the ultimate expression of class-leading luxury and effortless power
- Arnage Final Series is the culmination of 90 years of Bentley heritage and marks the 50th anniversary of the company’s iconic V8 engine
- Arnage Final Series also signals the end of an era as Bentley prepares for the future
INTRODUCTION
(Crewe, 24 September 2008) Since its debut in 1998 the Arnage has conveyed an air of sophisticated understatement as the four-door flagship of the Bentley range. Over the last decade the car has undergone a process of constant refinement to its body, design, chassis and powertrain to maintain its class-leading position in the high luxury market.
To celebrate 10 years of the Arnage, 50 years of its mighty V8 engine and 90 years of the marque, Bentley Motors will launch its limited edition model at the Paris Motor Show next week.
Called the Bentley Arnage Final Series, the new model features a unique specification, combining the performance of the 500 bhp Arnage T with the refinement of the Arnage R and design elements from the Brooklands coupe, for the ultimate expression of British luxury and effortless power in a four-door saloon – a grand finale, for the grandest of Bentleys.
Hand crafted at Bentley’s Crewe facility, the Final Series is an exclusive run of 150 cars, a unique example of the marque’s flagship created to bid ‘farewell’ to the highly successful Arnage line in the most appropriate manner and style. Bentley Chairman and Chief Executive, Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen, explains:
“For 10 years, Arnage has enjoyed extraordinary success at the pinnacle of the luxury saloon market. The Final Series is a celebration of the Arnage era as Bentley prepares for the next generation of its flagship model.”
BENTLEY ARNAGE FINAL SERIES – NEWS IN BRIEF
- Limited production run of 150 cars
- Arnage T powertrain with 6¾ litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, producing 500 bhp and 1000 Nm of torque
- Six-speed ZF automatic transmission with sophisticated locking torque converter provides fast yet ultra-smooth gearshifts
- Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) logic system improves dynamic response and handling with less intrusive intervention when a reduction in grip is detected
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring System fitted as standard
Exterior design styling changes include:
- 20-inch five-spoke alloy wheels
- Retractable ‘Flying B’ bonnet mascot
- Body coloured headlamp bezels
- Dark tint matrix upper and lower grilles
- Lower front wing air vents
- ‘FINAL SERIES’ badge on front wings
- Bentley ‘Jewel’ fuel filler cap
- Twin exhaust tail pipes
Interior design enhancements include:
- ‘FINAL SERIES’ treadplates to front doors
- Drilled alloy brake and accelerator pedals
- Waistrails with inset chrome strip and recessed Bentley marque badges (for the first time on Arnage)
- Rear cocktail cabinet and document stowage trimmed in hide
- FINAL SERIES stainless steel flask and shot glasses
- Two picnic tables available in a range of premium unbleached veneers
- Four Bentley umbrellas with wooden handles
Further enhancements to the standard Final Series specification include:
- Large display audio head unit with Secure Digital (SD) memory card slot
- Removable rear cup holders for rear centre armrest
- Hide covered boot rail
Further enhancements to the Final Series optional specification include:
- iPod interface
- Rear remote control for infotainment system
- Naim for Bentley audio system: 1100W, 10 speakers and next-generation Digital Signal Processing (DSP) with eight modes to create the world’s best in-car sound stage.
A COMMANDING ROAD PRESENCE
For the last 10 years the Arnage’s combination of muscular lines and understated luxury have endowed it with a commanding road presence synonymous with all Bentley Grand Tourers, subtly conveying the car’s formidable performance potential. This powerful exterior profile is underpinned by a torsionally stiff bodyshell (with an astonishing 6,500 spot welds) that helps to deliver outstanding ride and refinement.
Based on the sporting Arnage T, the Final Series offers a range of discreet exterior cues that further enhance its powerful stance. Key ingredients of the distinctive appearance include a dark-tinted Bentley matrix radiator grille with Flying ‘B’ mascot and dark-tinted lower grille. The iconic Flying ‘B’, which can retract neatly into the grille surround, was originally designed by motoring artist F. Gordon Crosby and was first used on the 1930 Bentley 8-Litre.
The Arnage Final Series is further distinguished by exterior design features first seen on the exclusive Bentley Brooklands coupe, comprising 20-inch five-spoke, two-piece alloy wheels and ‘Le Mans’ lower front wing air vents.
Additional unique features include body-coloured front and rear lamp bezels, ‘jewel’ fuel filler cap (made from billet aluminium) together with ‘Final Series’ wing badges and polished stainless steel treadplates to the front doors.
EXQUISITE CRAFTSMANSHIP
The Arnage Final Series will have a very special appeal to Bentley customers, as Peter Guest, Head of Department, Body & Trim, explains:
“Thanks to its hand-built exclusivity and superb quality, Arnage has become a world-wide benchmark for automotive craftsmanship. The Final Series epitomises the truly bespoke feel we aspire to and are determined to maintain.”
Inside, the Final Series is everything you would expect of a bespoke Bentley, offering the highest levels of hand-craftsmanship to a small, but discerning audience. The interior offers a remarkably spacious, luxury cabin to provide the ultimate in first-class travel for four adults.
Many of the most desirable Mulliner options are included in Final Series as standard, most notably the hand-made waistrails with inset chrome strip with recessed Bentley badges, the new rear cocktail cabinet and document storage trimmed in hide, plus the beautifully designed picnic tables available in a choice of three premium unbleached wood veneers – all prime examples of Crewe craftsmanship.
Bentley is the only automobile manufacturer in the world to offer as standard a cabin trimmed entirely with leather hides – including the headlining. The hand-crafted steering wheel requires up to 16 hours of double-stitching.
A set of mirror-matched veneers for each car takes 13 days to craft, while 17 hides and almost 400 separate pieces of leather are used for the upholstery, trim and headlining. Arnage Final Series spans the many eras between traditional coachbuilding skills and 21st century high-performance automotive engineering.
As in every Bentley, peerless craftsmanship and bespoke finishing are to the fore. Every item of trim, be it veneer, hide or chromed bezel, uses authentic materials. Built by hand, the creation of each Arnage takes a minimum of six weeks and owners can take ful