Friday 8th August 2014

Bentley Arnage: PH Ad Break

Classic display of British diffidence and modesty? Not a bit of it!

---

If you have ever wondered how to say 'Bentley' properly, listen to the start of this video. It features commentary from the 1928 Le Mans, where Birkin and Barnato led home a 1-2-3-4 for the Boys. It's all in the 'l', or so it sounds.

Anyway, this four-minute advertorial isn't about Le Mans (much), it's centred on the 'all-new' Arnage for 1998. It's being featured as it's just a joyous celebration of what, to many, are the core Bentley values; effortless performance, absolute luxury and great style.You therefore won't be surprised to hear 'double-stitched Connolly', 'thoroughbred', 'lineage' and 'handcrafted' mentioned by our tremendously refined narrator within about 30 seconds of the Arnage being seen.

They have even dared to sneak in a few statistics too. Did you know the Arnage was capable of 50-70mph in 3.4 seconds? You do now. But all cynicism aside, it's a refreshingly simple (if quite long) way of showing what a new car can do. Furthermore, the backing music could easily persuade you to a Bentley way of thinking.

Stick to the video's end too for the link back to Le Mans Bentleys from the Arnage saloon. Seamless...

Vid here.

 

[P4ROT]

They never were subtle; I remember someone I went to school with used to get dropped off in one with the plate MON3Y....

[MyCC]

Those front amber indicator lights make the early 'Green Labels' look so dated. The later Red Label with its clear lenses look so much better.

Regards,

MyCC.

[Prawnboy]

so many rubbish things about this car, the steering wheel for one.
but i would love one on the driveway.

[King Steffy]

Put running costs to one side....For the money, this has to be the best bargain in the world..
There is no other car that comes close on quality, inside & out.
The last face lift ones are just stunning...
The only way to travel !

[Davey S2]

Funnily enough I'm going to get my fathers tonight as I'm borrowing it for a dirty weekend away with the wife.

It's a Mulliner Arnage T so huge amounts of torque.

Fabulous car to waft in and a complete bargain now if you find a good one.

[V8 FOU]

Ah the Bentleh! Like the shot of Brooklands too at about 2:50.....

Great car, but I would prefer a Continental T Mulliner to go with my Turbo R

[Fire99]

Regardless of their shortcomings, I have to say I still prefer the likes of the Arnage (and earlier) Bentleys compared to the 'new' models introduced since VW's acquisition.

Part of their ridiculousness is part of their charm.. (to me anyway. )

[Daniel1]

There is no such thing as a bargain arnage. Any quick look through the receipts of a cared for example will reveal £,000's spent on maintenance even if the car itself is only about £20,000 or so. Even if you're handy with a spanner the sheer cost of the parts is eye watering.

[irish boy]

Superb car, high running costs but if you live near a good independent they have to make a good buy?

[Schermerhorn]

The engine is probably the 'cheapest' thing to service on this car, with it being derived from the 540i V8 BMW E39. The spark plugs IIRC are the same as a 3 series or Vauxhall Astra Mk4. NGK number BKR6EK if I remember correctly.

Brake pads too are fairly cheap, as they fit other models:

http://www.bettaparts.co.uk/buyguide/html/abp1001....

http://www.bettaparts.co.uk/buyguide/html/plu3905....

[soad]

Saw one yesterday, I quite like these.

[jamespink]

Schermerhorn said:

The engine is probably the 'cheapest' thing to service on this car, with it being derived from the 540i V8 BMW E39. The spark plugs IIRC are the same as a 3 series or Vauxhall Astra Mk4. NGK number BKR6EK if I remember correctly.

Brake pads too are fairly cheap, as they fit other models:

http://www.bettaparts.co.uk/buyguide/html/abp1001....

http://www.bettaparts.co.uk/buyguide/html/plu3905....

Surely this can't be right... The 540 block was at its limit for the M5 as the only way to increase capacity was to increase the stroke. If the Bentley motor is 6 litres plus how can it be the same unit? Opps, just learned something! They did a 4.4 BMW V8 motor variant according to Wiki, also the twin turbo 6.75 litre unit... much better!

Edited by jamespink on Friday 8th August 11:41

[Schermerhorn]

jamespink said:

Schermerhorn said:

The engine is probably the 'cheapest' thing to service on this car, with it being derived from the 540i V8 BMW E39. The spark plugs IIRC are the same as a 3 series or Vauxhall Astra Mk4. NGK number BKR6EK if I remember correctly.

Brake pads too are fairly cheap, as they fit other models:

http://www.bettaparts.co.uk/buyguide/html/abp1001....

http://www.bettaparts.co.uk/buyguide/html/plu3905....

Surely this can't be right... The 540 block was at its limit for the M5 as the only way to increase capacity was to increase the stroke. If the Bentley motor is 6 litres plus how can it be the same unit?

The early Arnage models had a 4.4 V8 that was BMW derived and tuned by Cosworth. The BMW engine had 286bhp and the Cosworth version (now with twin low scroll turbos) had 350bhp.

The later models had a 6.75 V8 which was 'traditional' Bentley.

The shell was the same as the Rolls Royce Silver Seraph, which used the 5.0 V12 found in the BMW 750iL and had 326bhp BMW.

The Phantom on the other hand used a 6.75 V12 (not the traditional V8 used for decades).

[pSyCoSiS]

Schermerhorn said:

The shell was the same as the Rolls Royce Silver Seraph, which used the 5.0 V12 found in the BMW 750iL and had 326bhp BMW.

It was actually a 5.4 litre V12, as used in the later E38 7 Series (IIRC, the earlier E38 V12 was a 5 litre).

These are truly majestic cars. Oppulence that never dies.

Edited by pSyCoSiS on Friday 8th August 12:28

[Davey S2]

Daniel1 said:

There is no such thing as a bargain arnage. Any quick look through the receipts of a cared for example will reveal £,000's spent on maintenance even if the car itself is only about £20,000 or so. Even if you're handy with a spanner the sheer cost of the parts is eye watering.

The old man's car came with a receipt for a service bill of £26K to it's first owner. It had a lot of stuff done and some cosmetic updgrades but that is still an eye watering bill.

[Harry Flashman]

I am (vaguely, in a slightly scared way) looking at the later versions of these, with the twin small Mitsubishi turbos and nearly 500bhp.

Hand built, awesome, and I think a future classic. Appalling running costs, but as an occasional use car, I like it. It was this or C63 AMG. The Merc is better in every way but just...isn't.

As for running costs, I'm used to a Morgan Aero 8, so frankly big service bills are a part of life.

In the new fleet buying/vs running costs rationale, I can:

1) sell Defender, keep the Morgan and get an Arnage, or
2) sell Defender and Morgan, buy a Ferrari and get a C63

I'm liking Option 1.

Edited by Harry Flashman on Friday 8th August 14:22

[energy]

As I commented on Youtube, quite ironic how the narrator talks of "lineage" just as the E38 sourced BMW heater controls come into view!

[miniman]

Harry Flashman said:

I am (vaguely, in a slightly scared way) looking at the later versions of these, with the twin small Mitsubishi turbos and nearly 500bhp.

Hand built, awesome, and I think a future classic. Appalling running costs, but as an occasional use car, I like it. It was this or C63 AMG. The Merc is better in every way but just...isn't.

As for running costs, I'm used to a Morgan Aero 8, so frankly big service bills are a part of life.

In the new fleet buying/vs running costs rationale, I can:

1) sell Defender, keep the Morgan and get an Arnage, or
2) sell Defender and Morgan, buy a Ferrari and get a C63

I'm liking Option 1.

Option 2 doesn't even come close.

Personally, though, I'd go with option 3: sell a kidney, keep the Defender and Morgan and get an Arnage.

[FastRich]

They are absolutely stunning cars.

That said, the cost of the servicing, parts and fuel mean that to own one, you've got to have a sense of humour!

[bobberz]

I like these a lot better than the current Bentleys. My local Bentley dealership (also the official Aston, McLaren, and Bugatti dealership for Washington D.C.) currently has a Continental LeMans in their showroom. Special car!

"The new, twin-turbocharged V8 makes 350 bhp." My, we've come a long way since 1998, haven't we?

A mutual friend owns a 1929 4 1/2 litre Van den Plas tourer which I occasionally get to see. He also owns the one and only "White Riley", which was the prototype for the original ERA (English Racing Automobile), as well as another ERA. Massive, chain-driven monsters with cylinders the size of buckets and virtually no brakes. And we often talk about how dangerous F1 was in the '50s and '60s! If the cars which the likes of Fangio, Moss, etc. drove were dangerous, the cars in the days of the ERA were absolute deathtraps!