Bentley Arnage

The Bentley Arnage at a glance

The Arnage and the Silver Seraph were the first all-new designs for both brands since 1980. They replaced the Mulsanne-based Bentleys and the Silver Spirit. The brand's longer story is in the history of Bentley.

How a BMW engine ended up in a Bentley

Vickers, which owned Rolls-Royce and Bentley in the 1990s, chose BMW engines for the new cars in late 1994. The Rolls-Royce received BMW's M73 V12, and the Bentley a twin-turbo version of the 4.4-litre BMW M62 V8, developed with Cosworth. In 1998 BMW and Volkswagen fought for control of the two brands. During that battle BMW threatened to stop supplying engines. The threat was withdrawn, but Arnage orders dropped sharply.

Volkswagen ended up with Bentley and the Crewe factory. It adapted the 6.75-litre V8 from the Turbo R for the Arnage body, together with a four-speed GM 4L80-E automatic. This Red Label went on sale in October 1999, and the BMW-engined car became the Green Label for model year 2000. Buyers preferred the old Bentley engine for its huge low-speed torque.

Green Label, Red Label and the 2002 range

The last BMW-engined cars were 52 Arnage Birkin models of 2000, named after the racing driver Tim Birkin. They have a three-dial instrument panel instead of five dials. The 2001 Le Mans edition marked Bentley's return to the 24-hour race, with 153 cars built. In 2002 the range split into the luxury Arnage R, the long-wheelbase RL and the sporting Arnage T. The T was then the most powerful series Bentley.

Two Bentley State Limousines for Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee in 2002 used a related 6.75 V8 with 296 kW (402 PS). More detail on the sporting model is on the Bentley Arnage T page.

2005 facelift and the 2007 update

The facelift for 2005 brought four round headlights and switchgear from the Azure convertible. The old 1cars text added xenon headlights, a smaller mesh grille and a reinforced body. For the 2007 model year, Bentley fitted low-inertia Mitsubishi turbochargers, the six-speed ZF 6HP26 automatic and a full-colour instrument display. The Arnage T then reached 1,000 Nm (738 lb-ft).

The Diamond Series of 2006 marked 60 years of car production at Crewe, with 60 cars planned. The Final Series of 2009 celebrated 50 years of the Bentley V8. It had 20-inch wheels, a 1,000-watt Naim audio system and a retractable Flying B mascot. Of 150 planned cars, 96 were built before production ended.

Size, weight and the long-wheelbase RL

The facelifted RL has a 250 mm longer wheelbase than the standard car, and all of it goes to rear legroom. Earlier bespoke long-wheelbase cars reached 3,566 mm, and a few were longer still. Armoured B6 versions of the RL were also offered. The old 1cars text praised the large boot, the leather and wood cabin and the rear DVD player offered on long cars.

Running costs and what to check

We found no official EU fuel figure for the Arnage, but a 2.6-tonne saloon with a 6.75-litre twin-turbo V8 is thirsty in any use. Use the 1cars fuel cost calculator with your own mileage to estimate the bill.

Specialists point to several weak spots:

• Head gaskets on early 6.75 V8s can fail at around 60,000 to 80,000 miles (97,000 to 129,000 km), and the repair is expensive.
• Turbochargers on the BMW-engined Green Label need checking.
• Automatic gearboxes can shift slowly or unevenly, or fail to kick down properly.
• Rust can appear on the sills, rear wheel arches and rear suspension mounts.
• The adaptive suspension and the brakes wear out on high-mileage cars because of the weight.

A full history from a Bentley dealer or a known specialist is essential, because cheap cars without records are hard to resell.

Safety equipment

Neither Euro NCAP nor the IIHS crash-tested the Arnage, which is normal for a car built in such small numbers. According to the old 1cars text, later cars had six airbags, stability control and tyre pressure monitoring. Braking from 113 km/h (70 mph) took 52 m in a Green Label test and 55 m in a later Arnage T.

Rivals: the Arnage compared with other flagships

Compared with the Silver Seraph, the Arnage offered more power and a firmer chassis. It also outlived its sister by seven years. Use the 1cars comparison tool to see two luxury saloons side by side.