ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILES AN HOUR. The speedometer needle is almost motionless. It hovers against the parchment background of the dial as the Les Hunaudieres Straight streaks past.
Maximum speed. A muted sound of rushing wind. The hard-edged growl of the 4.4 litre V8 engine, spinning smoothly at 5500rpm. The faint whistle of the twin turbochargers.
Palms dry on the thick-rimmed steering wheel. Attention focused on the track ahead. The car seems to be reeling in the tarmac, hungry, insatiable.
The track curves gently to the right. A test of nerve to keep the throttle to the floor. Think it round, allow the car to drift over to the left on the exit, ready for Mulsanne.
Mulsanne corner seems to rush towards you. Un hurried, you move your foot from throttle to brake. Again, it's not just the power of the brakes that reassures you, but their precision. The power of the single-fist calipers on micro-alloy vented discs sees the speedometer needle arcing back round the dial. You feel the strong deceleration through the pressure of the seat on your torso, the momentary weighting of your arms, but the car itself remains balanced, drama-free.
4-channel ABS will cut in if you've miscalculated. You haven't. You're well within the car's limits. As you slice in to the apex of the bend, the grip afforded by the 255/55 tyres enables you to treat Mulsanne with near-contempt. You could have gone faster.
Another straight, another right-hand kink. The quad-cam v-8's 350bhp and 400lb. ft of torque propels you onwards, accelerating the four-door saloon with relentless force.
Now, through the trace of early-morning mist, the hardest test of a car's handling that the Le Mans circuit can offer. Three corners in sequence: fast right into 90 degree left, followed by another right-hander, tighter than 90 degree, the cornering forces compelling you to discover the true capability of the suspension.
A corner called Arnage.
A motor car of the same name.
ARNAGE. The 4 1/2 Litre Bentley. It is seventy years since the 4 1/2 litre Bentley driven by Barnato and Rubin took victory in the 24 Heures Du Mans, then the greatest test in the world of a motor car's performance and stamina.
Fitting, then, that the new 4 1/2 litre Bentley is named after Arnage, one of the most challenging corners on the Le Mans circuit.
The engine of the new Arnage has little common with the low-revving, long-stroke 4-cylinder that represented the state of the art in 1928. A 4.4 litre, 32 valve V8, the new Bentley engine's combination of lightness, efficiency, refinement, power and torque takes the marque into a new era.
The Arnage engine is the result of a partnership of talents. Its basis is a quad cam V8 engine from BMW, one of the world's most renowned engine manufacturers. With its 90 degree V formation, undersquare bore/stroke ratio and all-aluminium alloy construction giving it a weight of just 250kg, the V8 gave Crewe's engineers the ideal size, capacity and configuration for the new four-door Bentley.
Working with BMW and Cosworth Engineering, the Bentley team developed the characteristics of the Arnage V8. The twin water-cooled turbochargers are close-coupled, providing near-instant throttle response and generating peak torque over a large section of the engine's working range. From 2500 to 4200rpm, the Arnage V8 delivers 570Nm (413lb. ft), giving it exceptional mid-range performance, important both for overtaking and for accelerating out of corners. At full throttle, 0-60mph acceleration takes 6.2 seconds. More significant still, the 50-70mph figure, an important test of a motor car's usable performance, takes only 3.3 seconds.
To derive the best from the engine's torque and power characteristics demanded a transmission of comparable advancement. The Arnage has an adaptive, five-speed automatic transmission that offers four different driving modes. Drive the Arnage gently, and the transmission will select gearchange points that maximise the engine's smoothness. Increase the tempo, or select one of the sport modes, and the transmission will hold the gearchange points until higher up the rev range, for the optimum response when cornering or under acceleration. But for all its advanced technology, the Arnage transmission never over-rules the driver's own decisions, so that he - or she - can feel confident in knowing how the machine will behave under all driving conditions.
The 350bhp engine and five-speed automatic transmission of the Bentley Arnage which provide the driver with such swift response and accessible performance deserve an equally capable chasis. That the Arnage sets new standards for Bentley roadholding, handling and ride is due both to the strength of the Arnage bodyshell, which is 65% stiffer than that of its predecessor. It takes an unequalled 6500 spot welds to create the Arnage monocoque bodyshell; the resultant strength of the structure not only offers excellent secondary safety, protecting occupants in the event of an accident, but also sets high standards of primary safety, allowing the engineers to increase the agility and precision of the motor car's handling without detriment to the suppleness of the ride.
The specification of the Arnage suspension shows an uncompromising intent; double wishbone independent suspension, front and rear, are mounted upon steel subframes, improving ride, refinement and the precision of the handling. Each of the motor car's electro-hydraulic dampers is individually computer controlled, accepting input from the transmission, the steering and three accelerometers which measure lateral, vertical and horizontal acceleration. When either the steering, the transmission or the movement of the car exceeds a set threshold, the suspension automatically adjusts within 1/100th of a second, to give an optimum ride/handling set-up.
If slippery road conditions such as oil, ice or mud are encountered, the Arnage stability control system will intervene automatically to help the driver retain full control. At the heart of the system a microprocessor monitors traction with wheel speed data and reacts via fuel metering to individual cylinders, cutting back on the engine's power in small power increments until traction is re-established, a system that is not only significantly faster but also more precise than conventional throttle intervention systems. The system will also apply the rear brakes to prevent either of the driven wheels from spinning.
To bring a spacious four-seat saloon car to a rapid standstill from speeds as high as 150mph calls for a powerful and precise braking system. The brakes of the Arnage are power-assisted, to aid performance and provide clear feedback to the driver. Four-channel electronic anti-lock brakes operate through single-fist calipers on micro-alloy vented discs, 334mm diameter at the front and 328mm diameter at the rear. The brake hoses are braided stainless steel, exotic components normally found only on racing machines. Why? Because the Bentley engineers considered that even the minute expansion of ordinary brake hoses under pressure would detract from the instantaneous precision of braking response they sought to achieve.
Seventy years of constant evolution have seen motor cars change out of all recognition. The 4 1/2 litre motor car that W.O. Bentley designed in the mid twenties was considered a magnificent achievement for the day; powerful, dependable and flexible. The new Bentley Arnage is infinitely more advanced than its earlier namesake, but it, too achieves an exceptional blend of power, efficiency and refinement and thus a thoroughbred inheritor of the Bentley engineering tradition.
EXTERIOR. All steel monocoque construction with high torsional rigidity.
Doubled-sided zinc coated skin panels.
Ten-stage metal treatment process prior to cathodic electro-priming.
Elastomeric protective coating to underbody surfaces.
Paint range of 22 colours plus personal specification facility.
Flexibilised polymer clearcoat.
Deep sports bumpers and sills.
Energy absorbing bumper system.
Low profile Bentley matrix grille in stainless steel.
Glass with ferrous compound to control solar loading.
Triple element door seals.
Five-spoke sculptured 17" aluminium alloy wheels.
Powered luggage compartment closing mechanism.
INTERIOR. Full grade "A" hide upholstery: 23 hide colours.
Burr veneer woodwork individually mirror matched for a specific vehicle.
Choice of burr walnut, burr oak or bird's eye maple veneers.
Traditional or ruched style seating.
Climate control with side/side, upper/lower, and front/rear controls.
4x35 Watt, tuner cassette, 6 CD autochanger audio system.
Two-stage seat heating to front seat positions.
Bi-level lumbar support systems to front seat positions.
Independently electrically adjustable rear seats.
Optional two-stage heating and adjustable lumbar support to rear seats.
Electrically adjustable tilt steering wheel with automatic easy entry/exit feature.
Memory facility (4 positions) linking driver's seat. exterior mirrors and
steering wheel.
Front passenger seat fitted with four memory positions
ENGINE. 4.4 litre aluminium alloy 32-valve V8 engine.
4398cc, 90 degree formation.
Quad camshaft, 4 valves per cylinder.
Twin water-cooled, close-coupled low inertia turbochargers.
Engine mounted intercooler.
Digital pulsed sequential fuel injection system to each cylinder.
Weight 250kg.
TRANSMISSION.
Five speed automatic gearbox with electric gear actuation.
Transmission torque reduction control.
Adaptive shift control.
Hill climbing and descent sensing.
D, S+D, S+4, S+3 : normal plus 3 modes of sports driving.
Winter programme automatically selected when rear wheel slip is sensed.
BRAKING AND TRACTION ASSISTANCE.
Power assisted boost braking system with four-channel electronic anti-lock.
Micro-alloy ventilated discs - 334mm front, 328mm rear.
Single fist brake calipers.
Hydraulic brake servo.
5th generation electronic traction assistance and engine braking system.
Engine torque control counteracts driven wheel spin.
SUSPENSION.
Double wishbone independent suspension system front and rear.
Front upper wishbones in forged aluminium - high mounted to body.
Automatic ride height control with auto load compensation.
Computer controlled electro-hydraulic suspension dampers - response time
1/100th second linked to transmission ports mode and steering input.
SAFETY FEATURES.
Four-channel electronic anti-lock braking system.
ASC traction assistance and stability regulation.
High mounted rear stop lamp.
Electrochromic self-dimming rear view mirror.
Exterior mirrors dip on selection of reverse gear.
Headlights engage automatically on continuous windscreen wipe.
Heated windscreen washer jets.
Impact absorbing body sections to front, rear and sides.
Anti-intrusion beams to all doors.
Driver and front seat passenger airbags, with occupant sensing system.
Front seat belt pre-tensioners.
Anti-submarine seat design.
Anti-trap windows.
SECURITY.
Multi-function alarm system programmable to suit owner requirements.
Perimetric exterior and microwave interior volume sensing for alarm system.
Driver's door only unlock feature on key fob.
Remote central locking and deadlocking.
Walk up/away headlights function.
Courtesy light and air conditioning active on disarming.
PERFORMANCE.
Maximum speed 150mph 240km/h (electronically limited)
Acceleration 0-60mph - 6.2 seconds
0-100km/h - 6.5 seconds
30-50mph - 2.4 seconds
50-70mph - 3.3 seconds
Max output 260kw @ 5500min-1 (350bhp @ 5500rpm)
Max torque 570Nm (413lb. ft) between 2500 and 4200rpm
FUEL CONSUMPTION.
EU drive cycle
Urban 23.4 1/100km 12.0mpg*
Extra-urban 13.1 1/100km 21.5mpg*
Combined 16.9 1/100km 16.7mpg*
Range 620km (385 miles) under normal driving conditions.
Fuel tank capacity 94 litres (20.7 gallons*)
* Fuel consumption/capacity figures shown in imperial gallons.
DIMENSIONS.
Wheelbase 3116mm (10ft. 2.7in.)
Overall length 5390mm (17ft. 8.2in.)
Overall width - across mirrors 2150mm (7ft. 0.7in.)
Overall height 1515mm (4ft. 11.5in.)
Turning circle (kerb to kerb) 12.4m (40ft. 8in.)
Luggage compartment volume 374 litres (13.2ft) DIN
Kerb weight 2302kg (5076lb.)
OWNERSHIP.
3 year unlimited mileage warranty.
Service intervals 10,000 miles.
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price - Arnage $203,800.00