Bentley will build Drophead flagship model

That three-layer canvas roof is quite complex, Crawford says, though it only requires the touch of a switch to operate and is ''elegantly stowed beneath the rear parcel shelf in under 30 seconds.''

Since the nature of a convertible means that its interior is often on display as much as its exterior, the design team knew the car's cabin ''would need to make as big a statement as its stunning body and capture some of the exquisite feel and look of earlier Bentley convertibles.''

Crawford says that further details, including full technical specification, market availability and pricing, will be released nearer the Arnage Drophead Coupé's on-sale date.

As it happens, he says, Bentley's first convertible appeared 50 years ago, when the 1955 Park Ward S1 Drophead Coupe was first built at the factory in Crewe.

After that, Bentley went through the Corniche and Continental eras, and then finally to Azure of 1995. Overall, says Crawford, this ''entire portfolio of unashamedly glamorous and wonderfully desirable cars meant that Bentley retained its reputation as the creator of the world's most elegant convertibles.''

As for the latest model to hold that self-affixed crown, the Drophead Coupe uses the front end as the current Arnage range and its platform, which ensures that it looks like a Bentley and ''seats four adults in complete comfort.''

While the new car is meant to be familiar to people who see Bentleys on a regular basis, it's also supposed to be ''unmistakably unique'' to them as well.

Crawford says ''the entire cabin and rear section of the car are newly designed, with a stunning new interior that has been influenced by contemporary furniture design.'' The object of that choice was to create ''an opulent and inviting seating area that reflects its status as a car that is at home in Palm Springs or the Riviera,'' or any other place where sand plays a key role in the local topography.

For his part, Paefgen likes to point out that adding a new model to the Arnage line is not just a way to gild a fading lily. ''The 2005 Arnage range has been extensively re-engineered at significant cost and is a very modern, high-technology saloon,'' he notes. ''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.''
photo:Bentley Motors