Bentley Approaches 10,000 Vehicles Per Year
September 22nd, 2006
The resurgence of Bentley Motors under the Volkswagen Group is nothing short of astonishing. In 2003, the storied marque sold 995 cars. This year, they are set to hit the 10,000 mark. Think about that. In three years, the company has managed to increase sales by 10 times.
It should be noted that Bentley is unlikely to shoot for anything much higher than 10,000 in order to maintain the exclusivity it enjoys as a super-premium brand. That said, Bentley will continue to develop and release new products that will help it maintain its current pace.
2007 Bentley Arnage
August 30th, 2006
Usually we’re not too excited when we get a company’s entry level car to review, but in Bentley’s case we made an exception for the Continental Flying Spur. We still have hopes to one day get in an Arnage, the Britsh marque’s true range topper with a price tag in the range of $220,000 to $250,000.
The Arnage sedan gets powertrain attention for model year 2007, which it very much needed. The 6.75-liter twin-turbo V8 in the Arnage T now makes a nice, round 500 bhp and enough torque to accelerate out of a black hole – 738 ft-lbs. Power climbs from 400 to 450 bhp in the Arnage R and long wheelbase RL, while torque goes up to 645 ft lbs. All Arnages also get a new ZF six-speed automatic that replaces the previous car’s dated four-speed.
“Two years ago we introduced major upgrades to the Arnage’s chassis, steering and brakes,” says Dr Ulrich Eichhorn, Member of the Board, Engineering. “Those improvements meant the car could easily handle a significant increase in power and torque, so work began on this important powertrain programme.”
The 2007 Model Year Arnage also benefits from safety, interior and design improvements. Every Arnage now has a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, rSAP Bluetooth integrated telephone system and improved driver ergonomics as standard. Additionally, new wheel, exterior paint colour and interior trim options are available, as well as an optional retractable ‘Flying B’ bonnet mascot.
Since then the car’s been able to handle the kind of power it will now finally be producing. The new 2007 Model Year Bentley Arnage range will go on sale from September 2006.
Usually we’re not too excited when we get a company’s entry level car to review, but in Bentley’s case we made an exception for the Continental Flying Spur. We still have hopes to one day get in an Arnage, the Britsh marque’s true range topper with a price tag in the range of $220,000 to $250,000.
The Arnage sedan gets powertrain attention for model year 2007, which it very much needed. The 6.75-liter twin-turbo V8 in the Arnage T now makes a nice, round 500 bhp and enough torque to accelerate out of a black hole – 738 ft-lbs. Power climbs from 400 to 450 bhp in the Arnage R and long wheelbase RL, while torque goes up to 645 ft lbs. All Arnages also get a new ZF six-speed automatic that replaces the previous car’s dated four-speed.
