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2003 Bentley Arnage T Road Test

Does Life Get Any Better?

Its like being transported into another world, one steeped in old-world tradition, unquestionable style, tasteful opulence, unsurpassed quality and breathtaking performance. Its the world of Bentley, and few, even among automotive scribes, have the opportunity of living it, if only just for the briefest of moments.

Nevertheless the gods smiled upon me after the planets shifted, and a rare opportunity to drive the recently enhanced Bentley Arnage R and T through Northern Californias serpentine coastal highway system was offered.

A row of vintage Bentleys stood guard at Half Moon Bays Ritz Carlton parking lot as I arrived in the back seat of a gorgeous black Arnage T, sending my classic loving heart

The opportunity to drive the recently enhanced Bentley Arnage R and T is rare even among automotive journalists. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

into rapid palpitations when I first gazed upon them. The pounding only increased once the Bentley boys took us out on the road, first in a 1928 XR-3337 4.5-Litre, similar to the cars that raced and won Le Mans an impressive 5 times.

After a wonderfully stimulating jaunt I switched over to a 1931 YR-5091 8-Litre that produced an intoxicating exhaust note, especially

As a huge fan of the classics, the row of vintage Bentleys parked at the hotel got my heart racing. Unfortunately I wasnt allowed a stint in this years Le Mans winner at right. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

when ripping up the highway at over 80 mph. But it was the 1925 UP-8014 Boat-Tailed Tourer that overwhelmed my senses. Ive been driven in roaring twenties cars before, but none that offered the sense of high-speed stability and engaging agility offered in the 3-Liter Bentley.

The same needs to be said for Bentleys new cars. Just consider for a moment that the

In the qualified hands of 5-times Le Mans winner Derek Bell, the Arnage showed what it was truly capable of. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

Arnage T, which weighs a considerable 5,699 pounds, sprints away from the blocks with the jump of Kim Collins, reaching 60 mph in a stimulating 5.5 seconds, before dancing circles around much smaller sport sedans.

To prove the latter point I asked my amiable co-driver, 5-times Le Mans winner Derek Bell, to take the wheel during a particularly sinuous stretch of tarmac. After all, while I was there to experience as much personal time as possible behind the wheel in order to compare it to its peers, only

The large Arnage Ts composure at high speeds on twisty, imperfect roads defies reason. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

a person of Dereks skills can expose what the big Bentley is truly capable of.

From the passengers seat the rushing scenery was hypnotic, a mesmerizing blur of eucalyptus trees, golden fields and abbreviated rocky crags that suddenly dropped off to the crashing waves and deep blue seascape hundreds of feet below. At such speeds the prospect of hurtling off the precarious roadway would have normally been a little unsettling, but with Dereks seasoned hands guiding the wheel I was allowed the opportunity to sit back and take in the moment.

From this perspective the Arnage

Any smaller and the standard 8 by 18-inch 5-spoke aluminum alloy rims would have looked out of place considering the overall size of the Arnage T. An optional set of 19-inch wheels are shown. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

T defies reason, snaking us through the tight two-lane highway as if in the parlor car of a high-speed locomotive, but with the grace and composure of ride that steel wheels cant produce. The car is wonderfully smooth despite its aggressive damping, a more purposefully firm setup when compared to the softer sprung Arnage R. It annihilates intimidating road imperfections to the point where I occasionally found myself wondering what all my worry was about, but fortunately found face in the realization that we would have probably been airborne in a lesser car.

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