The poor, aging Bentley Arnage. Just a paltry 6.8-liter V8, making just 500 horsepower. Out-of-date Birdseye Maple interior trim. The two picnic tables are still a nice touch, but otherwise, it all looks rather dated now, doesn’t it? It’s a bargain at just under $250,000 – at least next to similar sedans from Maybach and Rolls Royce. But you would be embarrassed to roll up in one, now, wouldn’t you?
Apparently, the folks at Bentley would. They plan to replace their flagship with an entirely new sedan for 2011. The Bentley Mulsanne made its world debut this weekend at the 59th Annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and the Automotive press is…well…as impressed as they usually are when a new quarter-million-dollar ultra-luxury sedan first appears.
Motor Trend says the Mulsanne’s “elegant exterior design looks deceptively simple. A strong, sharply creased bone line defines the car’s profile, emphasizing the prominent hips over the rear wheels. The Mulsanne’s bodysides are clean and simple below that line; above it, however, are complexly rendered surfaces that give the car an emotional presence Rolls-Royce’s new Ghost sedan doesn’t have.” The huge car “looks like it’s been milled from a solid billet of metal,” they add, “as there are no visible body seams.”
Autoblog is particularly impressed with the headlights. Designers drew inspiration from Bentleys of the 1930s, placing a large set of round lights on either side of the grille, with a somewhat smaller set just outboard and below. “The central headlight element is ringed by daytime-running-light LEDs – when you see the car coming at you, it'll be unmistakable,” Autoblog says.
Bentley hasn’t let the press inside the car yet, but the automotive press has a sense of the cabin from a quick look through the window. Autoblog reports, “Gone are the mid-century ergonomics and design of the Arnage, replaced by a cabin that showcases chrome-accented dials and modern switchgear -- like a joystick controller for the screen – among a forest of wood.”
Little is known about the car’s powertrain. Jalopnik notes, “It's been rumored it could feature a VW TDI engine. If it doesn't get the TDI we expect it has yet another version of the family W12,” possibly a re-tuned version of the powerplant found on the top-of-the-line Audi A8. It puts out 450 horsepower in the Audi, but Bentley engineers might be able to squeeze more power from the mill.
