Bentley Introduces Arnage Drophead Coupe Concept in U.S. Convertible Capital

Of course, it's merely a concept. Yet again, Bentley CEO Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen admitted that production of the

"If customer demand is there, it could go into production within a very short space of time - as early as spring 2006," avered Bentley CEO Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

convertible Arnage would start in spring 2006 "if public reaction to the concept is favorable".

The Bentley CEO added, "We had such amazing success with the Bentley Azure, which has developed a cult following although production stopped in 2003. There's no reason why this new Arnage derivative couldn't fill the gap left by the Azure. If customer demand is there, it could go into production within a very short space of time - as early as spring 2006."

Of course, in this league a favorable reaction needs to be a great deal more than oohs and ahs from show-goers passing by the Bentley stand, but rather deposit checks written for a vehicle that will reach far beyond a $300,000 purchase price.

Despite an expected Continental convertible, the much more expensive Arnage Drophead Coupe still makes a lot of sense. The Azure did very well, due to its extreme exclusivity, caused by a price that was much greater than a Continental GT based convertible is

"The 2005 Arnage range has been extensively re-engineered at significant cost and is a very modern, high-technology saloon," added Paefgen. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

expected to fetch, and being that Bentley recently updated its flagship sedan at great expense, a derivative product built off of its architecture would incur relatively low development costs and therefore reasonable potential profits even with low volume sales.

To this end Paefgen commented, "The 2005 Arnage range has been extensively re-engineered at significant cost and is a very modern, high-technology saloon. It is natural, therefore, that we would use this base to further our reputation as the pre-eminent builder of large, luxury convertibles in the world."