Bentley Arnage T

Group	0
Engine	F 6750 V8 twin turbo
Transmission	RWD 4 speed auto, ESP
Cabin	4 door; 4 seat
Bhp @ rpm	450 @ 4100
lb ft @ rpm	645 @ 3250
Kerb weight/kg	2585
bhp/ton	174
bhp/litre	67
0-60/secs	5.5
0-100/secs	13.5
Max mph	168
Fuel tank/l	100
Year	2002-present
Country	England
Price when new	£166,500+
Number produced	In production

Arnage is a village close to the Le Mans 24hrs race track and the Bentley Arnage is named after the challenging Arnage bend at the circuit where Bentleys had great success in the 1920s winning five times at the Sarthe Circuit. The first Arnage was shown to the public at this bend on the Le Mans track in 1998 and was the first entirely new model from Bentley since 1980. This first Arnage didn't feature the 6 ¾ litre V8 used in Bentleys since 1959 but instead had a BMW V8 with twin turbo chargers. It was only later with the introduction of the Red Label that this original Bentley engine would be used again and the BMW powered Arnage would be renamed Green Label for distinction.
 
The Arnage T was the first of the Series Two Arnage and was the result of a 3 year project to completely re-engineer the earlier Arnage saloon from bumper to bumper. It was launched at the Detroit motorshow in January 2002 and was designed to appeal to the "slightly younger driver – someone in their 40s rather than late 50s", Bentley executives hoped the Arnage T would attract Porsche, Ferrari or Aston Martin drivers; it has the immediately identifiable historic Black Label badge reserved for Bentley's most sporting cars.
 
At launch the Arnage T was Bentley's most powerful road car ever, the new flagship of the range and featured a heavily reworked and update version of the old 6 ¾ litre V8 pushrod Rolls Royce turbo engine from the Arnage Red Label. This engine design first saw service in 1959 on the Bentley S2 and was again redesigned with minimal component carryover - the engine was over 50% new and of the remainder was 80% completely re-engineered, it now featured twin turbos in place of the old single larger turbo of the outgoing Red Label, allowing almost instant boost and giving much better throttle response, more torque and more power. The Red Label would be reintroduced for the series two Arnage later in the year as the Arnage R, a less sporting model, and the original BMW powered Green Label would be dropped.
 
The all important engine redesign allowed the use of the latest Bosch's ME7 Motronic engine management system with a drive by wire throttle and a full stability system to be used rather than just traction control as in the previous generation. The chassis was also stiffened and the T features increased spring rates all round as well as a rear anti roll bar and stiffer front anti roll bar – increasing roll stiffness by over 50%, whilst a new computer-controlled sports suspension system is also employed to further enhance the handling and ride quality.
 
The car also features sporty 19" split rim alloy wheels, front spot lamps, a lower air dam on the front bumper, upturned boot lip and quilted leather seats with an embroidered Bentley motif, two umbrellas in the boot and picnic tables for the rear seats. The Arnage T offers the performance and exclusivity of a supercar with the space and sumptuous cabin of a luxury four door saloon and a commensurately large boot.
 
"It sets a new benchmark amongst deranged super saloons that will be very hard to beat." **** evo Magazine, Issue 040