Bentley Arnage Final Series
Get ready, Bentley fans, because you're about to be treated to a special-edition Arnage that will commemorate the end of the breed. If you couldn't decide whether you wanted a T, R. or Brooklands, the Final Series is for you. The limited-edition Final series will feature the Arnage T's drivetrain, the Arnage R's luxury appointments, and the Brooklands' styling cues. The last 150 Arnages built will be Final Series cars that will pay homage to the Arnage's 10 year run, the 6.75L engine's 50th anniversary and Bentley's 90 years of operation. "For 10 years, Arnage has enjoyed extraordinary success at the pinnacle of the luxury saloon market," says Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, chairman and CEO of Bentley. "The Final Series is a celebration of the Arnage era as Bentley prepares for the next generation of its flagship model." The Arnage Final Series will be based on the Arnage T and share its twin-turbo 6.75L V-8 engine. The 500 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque will be enough to move the 5699 lb car to 60 mph in 5.2 sec and reach a top speed of 179 mph. Power reaches the pavement through a ZF-sourced six-speed automatic transmission with manual shifting capabilities. Keeping the power down will be 20-in. wheels borrowed from the Brooklands riding on Pirelli PZero tires and featuring a tire-pressure-monitoring system. Smoothing out the bumps is the Arnage's recently redesigned double-wishbone suspension with electro-hydraulic shocks and an Electronic Stability Program. As an option, the Arnage Final Series will be fitted with enormous 16.5-in. carbon/silicon carbide brake rotors and eight-piston calipers. Despite being larger than many passenger car wheels, these brakes will actually save 17.6 lb, and, under normal driving conditions, the discs are expected to last the lifetime of the car and the pads twice as long as normal. The Final Series, of course, will have beauty to match its brawn. In addition to standard Arnage trim, the Final Series will sport the aforementioned 20-in. wheels from the Brooklands, a retractable Flying B hood ornament, air vents in the front fascia, body-colored headlight bezels, a fuel cap machined from billet aluminum, dark-tint matrix grilles, twin tailpipes, and special Bentley wing badges with "Final Series" written across the wings. Inside, you'll be treated to leather everywhere from the headliner to the seats, steering wheel, dash, and center console, all of it available in 25 different colors. Up front, "Final Series" will be etched into the door sills, and, of course, there will be wood trim everywhere. In the back, where many Arnage owners spend most of their in-car time, you'll have a cocktail cabinet and document-storage unit trimmed in leather and a special compartment containing a Final Series flask and shot glasses will fold out from the front seatbacks. To hold your drinks, there are two pop-out tables available in three different unbleached wood veneers. Alternatively, you can drop them into the cupholders that attach to the center armrest. When you're not using them, you can pop the cupholders off and stash them inside the armrest out of sight. To spruce up the door panels for the Final Series, Bentley inlaid chrome trim and recessed Bentley badges into the wood trim just below the windows. In the event of inclement weather, the Final Series is equipped with four wood-handled umbrellas strapped into the trunk. To keep you entertained, an audio system with built-in SD card slot and a large screen you can view from the back seat will play all your favorite operas. Check a few options boxes and you'll also get an iPod interface, a remote control for the stereo system so your chauffer can keep both hands on the wheel, and a Naim 1100-watt, 10-speaker stereo system with next-generation DSP, an automotive first. If you have any special requests, Bentley's Mulliner shop is happy to accommodate you. Bentley estimates that up to 80% of its customers go for Mulliner add-ons to personalize their car just a little more. Bentley hasn't yet named a price for the Final Series, but we expect it will cost more than the $250,000 base price for the Arnage T it's based on. Whether it will reach the $340,000 territory of the Brooklands remains to be seen and will likely be announced when the Final Series makes its debut at the Paris motor show next week.
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