Built for the 1990s but still resolutely traditional, the Bentley Arnage is a modern-classic favourite. Here’s how to live with one
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Words: Paul Wager
It may have had a confused production life but the Bentley Arnage is at once very similar and very different from the older generation of Crewe-built products like the Bentley Turbo R. One thing most specialists are agreed on is that the youth of these cars can make them a better bet for many owners.
The Arnage was conceived during the period when Bentley was starting to pull ahead of Rolls-Royce thanks to the turbocharged models. The initial idea was to share floorpans between Rolls-Royce and Bentley models, but for the two to carry different bodywork.
An agreement with BMW saw a range of V8 and V12 engines used for the cars: the V12 for the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph and the V8 for the Bentley Arnage, the latter twin-turbocharged by fellow Vickers subsidiary Cosworth. This was decided largely by commercial pressures including the link between BMW’s aero engine division and trademark owner Rolls-Royce plc.
As we now know, the launch of these two cars in 1998 was just the beginning of a fascinating saga both for the vehicles themselves and for the two brands, as the Volkswagen Group would swoop in to buy Bentley and BMW took on Rolls-Royce in due time.
Volkswagen Group’s priority was to replace the BMW drivetrain in the Arnage. The old L-series Rolls-Royce V8 was still in production for the Spirit-based Azure and Continental models, which meant that despite its age, it was still produced in an emissions-compliant specification.
Volkswagen Group took the opportunity to extensively revise the 4.75-litre V8 and it was duly fitted to the Arnage, the revised car being badged Arnage Red Label and sold alongside the original BMW-powered car (now named Green Label) from October 1999. A measure of the appeal of the older engine was that after this point only a handful of Green Label models were sold – reports suggesting only five or six regular examples, plus some 52 special edition cars.
Meanwhile, the all-new Continental GT had arrived on the scene in 2003 and in 2005 the Arnage received a facelift to reflect the front-end style of the new model.
A Le Mans special edition was sold in 2001 and 2002 to mark the brand’s return to racing after 71 years. In 2006 the 60th anniversary of Crewe production was marked with a Diamond Series of 60 cars.
The end had to come eventually though and in September 2008 it was announced that production would end in 2009 and after a run of 150 ‘Final Edition’ cars, the Arnage disappeared in 2009.
Engine, transmission and mechanicals
Although the Arnage has something of an ‘orphan’ status, in theory all the Crewe-built cars are supported for parts by the current Bentley organisation. The reality however is rather different, with a Volkswagen-owned network not keen to offer BMW-sourced parts and as the cars have aged certain items have become unavailable.
However, the UK’s well established Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialist industry has jumped into the gap to ensure that this newer generation of Bentleys is as well supported as the evergreen Shadow and Spirit.
For example, underbonnet coolant pipes are now being remanufactured, while the V8 head gaskets which were discontinued some time ago have now been developed for production and items like hydraulic components and suspension bushes are also newly available. The big production numbers also mean that firms like Flying Spares can offer used parts too.
As far as diagnostics go, properly-equipped specialists can plug into these cars and offer dealer-level capability, so niggling issues with electronic control systems may be out of the reach of DIYers but can at least be sorted.
Naturally, regular servicing is paramount to keeping your Bentley running as it should. Many examples won’t have covered many miles for their age but maintenance is key regardless.
Bodywork and interior
One thing which owners do need to keep on top of is rust protection: the Arnage weighs in at 2.7 tonnes – significantly more than the old Turbo R – and in a desperate attempt to save weight, engineers fitted just a single horn and skimped on the rust protection.
For this reason, it’s not unusual to find Arnages which have been used all year round looking the worse for wear underneath and a visit to one of the rustproofing specialists is advised. Elsewhere though, they stand up to the British climate well, with modern body engineering and seals meaning they don’t leak.
It’s been said that the Arnage was a Bentley built around a BMW platform and this means that even on the later VW-produced cars, the electrical architecture and much of the switchgear including the heating and air conditioning is very obviously BMW-sourced.
Yes, you can get lucky and find a few interchangeable detail parts but don’t expect a straight swap for used 7 Series parts to solve every issue.
Finding a good example
As ever, a tired and neglected example of the Bentley Arnage can be costly to get up to scratch, but once there it should offer modern car levels of dependability which a Turbo R just struggles to equal. If you’re looking to stay in the classic world but want something just that little bit more convenient, the Arnage could be the answer.
Finding a good Arnage should be easy enough in the UK, where values remain very reasonable and prices start around £13,000, climbing to about £20,000 for a great example and around £35,000 upwards for the very best. Values remain low across the Atlantic too; at time of writing, the Arnage Red Label in these pictures is for sale for $19,950 at Beverly Hills Car Club with under 66,000 miles on the clock.
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