Significance
Debuting in the spring of 1998, the Bentley Arnage and its Rolls Royce counterpart the Silver Saraph were the first completely new designs to come out of either brand in nearly 20 years. The Arnage was intended to be the more sporting car of the pair and was to be fitted with a twin-turbocharged variant of the BMW M62 V8, found in cars like the 740i. Although later Arnages were equipped with the Bentley/Rolls Royce turbocharged 6.75-liter V8, the Arnage was actually designed with the BMW engine in mind, and they are known to be far better handling and responsive cars from behind the wheel. Even though the Aranage was a totally new car, all of the things consumers had come to expect from a Bentley remained- supple Connolly leather inside, deep pile Wilton Wool carpeting, and glossy burl wood trim as far as the eye can see covered the interior. The final Arnage rolled off the assembly line in 2009 and along with it went the final fingerprints left by the Vickers Group who had been in control of Bentley and Rolls Royce operations since 1980.
About this vehicle
This 1999 Bentley Arnage Green Label is finished in the quintessential English car color combination of British Racing Green over a light tan leather interior. Showing 57,982 miles on the odometer, this car has been well kept and shows exceptionally nicely for a car going on 25 years old. The “Green Label” denotes that this car is equipped with the BMW M62 V8 engine and 5-speed automatic transmission. As far as the exterior is concerned, the Green Label and Red Label are hard to distinguish outside of the unique 17” wheels found on the Green Label as well as the color backing the Bentley badge on the trunk lid and wheels. The Arnage design does an outstanding job of harkening back to the T2 and Turbo R of the 1980s while offering numerous up-to-date styling cues to help bring the stately shape into the 21st century.
On the interior, light tan leather covers nearly every surface and provides both great comfort and an intoxicating aroma when freshly conditioned. This car’s leather has clearly been well kept up over the years and exhibits minimal wear even on the driver’s seat which is miraculous given how soft it is. Like the exterior, the interior design is reminiscent of the Bentley Turbo R that preceded the Arnage- with numerous aircraft-inspired gauges and milled metal switches to control the windows and side view mirrors. But unlike the previous cars, this features much more modern climate control and stereo controls, fresh out of a contemporary BMW 7-Series. One of the most luxurious things about the Arnage is the plus Wilton Wool carpet over mats- in this car the carpeting is finished in dark green to match the exterior and these overmats are dyed to match.
Powering the Arnage is the aforementioned 4.4 liter BMW M62 V8 but for the Arnage, Bentley approached motorsport experts Cosworth to design a twin-turbo system for the engine. Utilizing a dual-overhead-camshaft design and modern engine management, the Green Label produced 349 horsepower and a stunning 420 lb-ft of torque from just 2,500 rpm. This was then connected to a 5-speed ZF automatic gearbox that offered smooth shifting and far superior fuel economy to the 6.75-liter Red Label which was saddled with an old GM 4L80-E.
Although after a few years of production, the BMW engine disappeared as an option on the Arnage, in reality, it was the superior choice- utilizing modern technology and weighing significantly less than the hulking 6.75-liter unit that replaced it. The Arnage Green Label is truly the unsung hero of the Arnage range and seeing these cars rack up huge mileage figures is not uncommon thanks to their pleasant driving dynamics and ease of servicing. If you have always wanted to experience the ultimate in British luxury for yourself, it is hard to do better than an Arnage and this example in this classic BRG over Tan color combination is a perfect entry point.