FORGET GTA 4, GTA V IS HERE: The 2008 Bentley Arnage Review

The Bentley Arnage is a luxury car produced by Bentley Motors in Crewe, England. The Arnage and its Rolls-Royce-branded sibling, the Silver Seraph, were introduced in the Spring of 1998 and were the first entirely new designs for the two marques since 1980.

Another break from the past was to be found under the bonnet, for decades home to the same 6.75 L V8, a powerplant which could trace its roots back to the 1950s. The new Arnage was to be powered by a BMW V8, with Cosworth-engineered twin turbo installation, and the Seraph was to employ a BMW V12.

The Arnage is over 5 m (200 in) long, 1.9 m (75 in) wide, and has a curb weight of more than 2.5 metric tonnes. For a brief period it was the most powerful and fastest four-door saloon on the market.

Review
If you need a four-door, luxury supercar, the Bentley Arnage sits at the top of a very exclusive pile. It may not be quite as lithe on twisting roads as some of its competition, but the Arnage has an indefinable class and sense of occasion that none of its rivals can touch. The Arnage arrived in 1998 as the spritzier, quicker sister model to the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph. After the division of the two companies, Bentley headed off with VW and the BMW-sourced turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 was soon replaced by the superlative 6.75-litre V8 with ever more gobsmacking power outputs. That’s not to say the Arnage has lost sight of its role as a luxury car: the interior is covered from head to toe leather and hand-finished wood trim regardless of which model you choose. The Arnage started as the 4.4-litre Green Label, then the faster Red Label was added in 1999 with the 6.75 V8. These then gave way to the R, T and long wheelbase RL models from 2002 onwards.

Price

2008 Bentley Arnage	Drivetrain	Engine	Trans*	MSRP
2008 Bentley Arnage Sedan (Saloon)
R	RWD	6.8L V8 T	Auto	$221,990
T	RWD	6.8L V8 T	Auto	$242,990
2008 Bentley Arnage Sedan (Touring Limousine)
RL	RWD	6.8L V8 T	Auto	$263,990