Bentley shows more of its Arnage successor

BENTLEY has announced it will unveil the replacement for its Arnage flagship sedan at the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance in Monterey, California, on August 16, when the all-new model’s name will also be revealed.

A second official image of the ‘New Grand Bentley’, as it has been preliminarily labelled, was issued as part of yesterday’s announcement, clearly showing the car will feature four doors with proper side-hinged door-handles.

A highlight will be a prominent shoulder line that separates into two from around the middle of the rear door to create an aggressively flared rear three-quarter panel, beneath a super-thick C-pillar that follows Bentley styling convention, but adds a big dose of modernity by being heavily raked.

The second darkly-lit teaser image of the Arnage replacement follows two official videos and last month’s reveal of an image that showed the car will adopt a clamshell-style bonnet similar to that of the Continental model range, which was the first model to emerge from Bentley since it came under Volkswagen Group ownership in 2003.

The worldwide debut and naming of Bentley’s new flagship at Pebble Beach will be a significant milestone in the 90th anniversary year of the hallowed British brand. The company was founded in 1919 by WO Bentley before its first production car, the 3-litre, was delivered in September 1921.

Left: The first sneak peek of the new Grand Bentley. Below: The superseded Bentley Arnage.

Bentley says its redesigned top-shelf saloon will capture that pioneering model’s 1920s ‘grand touring’ spirit by delivering the type of effortless driving, exclusivity and adventure demanded by real (well-heeled) motoring enthusiasts.

“A unique fusion of elegant design, hand craftsmanship and technological innovation, the new model embodies the potent yet luxuriously refined driving experience that is ‘pure Bentley’,” says the company.

“It is fitting that the 90th anniversary of the company will be marked by an all-new car. Such events are rare milestones in the company’s history. Designed, engineered and built in Crewe, which has been home to Bentley Motors for over 60 years, it has been a ‘once in a career experience’ for many involved.

“The car and its name, which will be revealed at Pebble Beach on 16 August, signal a new era in British luxury motoring.” Expected to be given a new name other than Arnage, Bentley’s direct rival for the likes of BMW’s Rolls-Royce Phantom and the Mercedes-Benz Maybach is expected to set new performance and dynamic benchmarks for the brand by being based on a relatively lightweight aluminium spaceframe chassis from sister brand Audi.

Some examples of the discontinued model it will replace, the limited-edition Arnage Final Series, continue to be available in Australia at a price of $628,637, while the wildest iteration of the Continental GT Coupe, the lighter 463kW Supersports two-seater, will arrive in Australia in early 2010, priced at $525,000.

The successor for the Arnage is expected to go on sale globally from mid-2010.

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Sneak peek: Bentley reveals (some of) its flagship