2005 Bentley Arnage Limousine Preview

The new limousines will be handbuilt, meeting the individual needs and desires of each customer by offering pretty well

No two hand built Arnage Limousines are to be made alike. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

any surface finish, feature and convenience money can buy, whether it be outrageous opulence or a more practical fully-integrated mobile office. This means no two Arnage Limousines are to be made alike. For this reason each version can take up to 6,000 man hours to manufacture, and even more if armor plate protection, integrated during the build process, is ordered.

"The Arnage Limousine is the epitome of Mulliner craftsmanship," commented Ashley Wickham, head of projects, Bentley Mulliner. "Everything you can see - from the beautiful line of the new D-pillar to the stainless steel sills - was shaped by hand. That's why a Mulliner-built Bentley can take up to 6,000 man hours to complete. It is a labour of love."

Rather than using the already longer wheelbase RL sedan as a donor platform for the new limousine, Bentley starts each of the

The stock 400-hp Arnage 6.75-liter V8 engine moves the limousine from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

twenty off from its "entry-level" Arnage R, before reinforcing the subframes and upgrading various suspension components.

Despite the extra weight incurred from making the car larger, the stock Arnage 6.75-liter V8 engine doesn't need modification due to a motivating 400-horsepower that spools up via twin-turbochargers to produce 616 lb-ft of torque at 3,250 rpm. This translates into a sprint from standstill to 100 km/h in merely 6.7 seconds, not as quick as a base R but still impressive for a limousine. And what's more, even with its tremendous power Bentley's V8 achieves Euro IV and US LEV emissions standards.