Beschreibung:

Emphasising its racing heritage, Bentley Motors unveiled the new Arnage in April 1998 at La Sarthe circuit, home of the Le Mans 24-Hour Race and scene of its greatest triumphs in the 1920s. Bentley, together with parent company Rolls-Royce Motors, was in collaboration with BMW at this time, and the Arnage was the first Bentley to benefit from the Munich firm's engine technology in the form of an all-new 4.4-litre 32-valve twin-turbocharged V8 power unit. However, Bentley's subsequent acquisition by Volkswagen resulted in a partial volte face, with the 'old' 6.75-litre push-rod V8 being reintroduced on some models, beginning with the Arnage Red Label in 1999. The BMW-engined car lived on as the Green Label, while the Red Label boasted redesigned front suspension to cope with the heavier 'big block' engine, together with brakes of increased diameter. In addition, subtle alterations were made to the interior, resulting in 2" more legroom for rear seat passengers, while features that had previously been 'extras' (power-fold door mirrors, for example) were included as standard. Despite its older and simpler engine, the Red Label amply demonstrated the truth of the old saying: 'there's no substitute for cubic inches', comfortably eclipsing its more-modern sibling in the horsepower stakes, producing 420bhp to the Green Label's 350. The larger engine's stupendous torque, available from idling speed upwards, made the Green Label's five-speed automatic transmission superfluous, so the Red Label reverted to the four-speed auto 'box. According to its VIN plate, the Arnage was built in May 2001. It was bought by its current owner in 2002 from Champion Motors of Jericho, Long Island, just one year after its original delivery and remains in its original color scheme of Silver Metallic with a light gray leather interior, the seats piped in dark gray and the door cappings in mahogany colored wood trim. It has the desirable factory option of a sunroof and five spoke chrome alloy wheels. Over the course of the last nine years, the car has been maintained consistently by Bentley Long Island and its mileage has risen to just over 66,000 by the time it was inspected by a Bonhams specialist in August this year. When viewed, the car presented well and seemingly only the door cappings which have light cracks to the veneer surface show their age as well as a small chip to the windshield. Offered with service manual and various bills for maintenance, the car has been in regular driving use and will be to the time of sale.