Bentley does not build many cars like the Bentley Arnage: a 4-door saloon/sedan with 4.4 , built from 1998 to 2009 when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. Its designer of record is Steve Harper under Graham Hull (1991).
How it came about
The Bentley Arnage is a full-size luxury car manufactured by Bentley Motors in Crewe, England, and marketed from 1998 to 2009. The Arnage and its Rolls-Royce-branded sibling, the Silver Seraph, were introduced in the spring of 1998. They were the first entirely new designs for the two marques since 1980. In September 2008, Bentley announced that production of the model would end during 2009. A replacement model, the Bentley Mulsanne was launched in August 2009 at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
The hardware
Under the skin sits 4.4 other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 5120 lb. The gearbox is a 1999–2006: 4-speed GM 4L80-E transmission / GM 4L80-E automatic transmission / automatic / 1998–2000: 5-speed ZF 5HP30 transmission / ZF 5HP30 automatic / 2006–2010: 6-speed ZF 6HP. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 3116 mm (Pre-facelift models) / 3116 - (Post-facelift models). These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
Where it sits in Bentley's history is not in doubt: the Bentley Brooklands / Bentley Turbo RT came before it; the Bentley Mulsanne (for Arnage R/T (SWB) / Arnage R/L (EWB) and Arnage "Final Series") / Bentley Flying Spur followed it; it was built at Crewe (Bentley Crewe), United Kingdom. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Chevrolet Silverado, the Ford Focus, the Peugeot 206. Its Bentley stablemates include the Armoured Arnage and the Bentley 3 Litre.