Arnage T

I've driven an '03 Arnage T for the last 2 years and put 10k trouble free miles on it. I think they are great cars. Yes the technology sucks but there is more to a car then tech. The most technologically advanced car right now is a prius. The interior is second to none even 10 years later. The car pulls like a freight train and the turbos will suck little children off the sidewalk.

Stay away from the pre 2002s as they ALL have head gasket issues ($4k fix). To me the point of buying a Bentley is the interior so I don't know why anyone would buy an R? They do suffer some suspension issues because of their weight so if you are thinking about buying one see how they sit in the back and make sure to test drive it. If the ride is harsh it probably needs some work. New rear shocks are only about $1k but there could be other issues too. Brakes are off the bmw 7 series so they are cheap, which is good because you will go through them at 7klbs. The stereos sucks but its a relatively inexpensive fix. Check for cracked interior wood. Most have some cracks but if you are anal and want to fix it they will never match. Rear reclining seats and wine cooler are a nice option (I think '04+ option). They come with two umbrellas in the trunk. If you are missing one it doesnt looks right and a replacement may run you $1k.

I want to know what is in Modo's garage. I thought Lapper was insinuating that the wife bought him the S8!

I want to know what is in Modo's garage. I thought Lapper was insinuating that the wife bought him the S8!

 

Not me.

Not me.

 

HHHHMMMMMMMM

 

See you next week!

HHHHMMMMMMMM

 

See you next week!

 

I'm here.

Just curious, but why do Bentley's lack technology? Aren't they supposed to be a super high-end car? I would think that that would entail luxury and tech, right?

Just curious, but why do Bentley's lack technology? Aren't they supposed to be a super high-end car? I would think that that would entail luxury and tech, right?

 

I think it's hard to embrace too much new tech and still maintain the panache of this old school ultra luxury brand.

 

It's sorta like an exotic car without any quirks....not quite right.

 

 

 

 

Just curious, but why do Bentley's lack technology? Aren't they supposed to be a super high-end car? I would think that that would entail luxury and tech, right?

 

Most old school British cars were great at coach work or excel in proven technologies. Not so much in innovations especially in the electronics department (Google Lucas electrics). Until recently and especially for British cars, super high-end does not necessarily spell high-tech. And recent British cars that had gone high-tech is because they had been bought by other brands which does have the high-tech capabilities. e.g. VAG, BMW etc... (McLaren being the exception I guess.) Look at the Bentley's and Rolls Royce's from the original Crewe years (when Bentley's were essentially re-branded Rolls Royce's), those cars were opulent and classy. They work but they were fiendishly low-tech. Trying to stuff as many modern electronics into an old-school car that wasn't design for such tech was a doomed exercise from the start.

Old school craftsmanship > tech any day.

 

Sorry! Not a fan of modern day electronics in cars. Seems like companies are trying too hard. I appreciate it, but it's not necessarily a necessity in an automobile.

 

Sometimes, it's just a litttleeeee too much.

^Agreed. The phrase "old world charm" applies here. It's the coach work that makes these car feel like a rolling British Gentlemen's Club and that is the cool part. GPS and reverse cameras are fine; some of the other things are getting a bit silly.

I was randomly looking at Arnages the other day and was surprised that the 05s seemed to have come down quite a bit in price.

^Agreed. The phrase "old world charm" applies here. It's the coach work that makes these car feel like a rolling British Gentlemen's Club and that is the cool part. GPS and reverse cameras are fine; some of the other things are getting a bit silly.

 

VCR, thank you for the information. Do you think that with proper design, they could make these cars where the high tech stuff would fit in with the old-world classiness? High tech and old-world luxury need not mutually exclusive IMO.

VCR, thank you for the information. Do you think that with proper design, they could make these cars where the high tech stuff would fit in with the old-world classiness? High tech and old-world luxury need not mutually exclusive IMO.

 

Yes, Wheels, high tech & old-world luxury can co-exist of course. But whether it is economically feasible is another matter. In theory, you can take an Arnage apart and gut out all the archaic electronics and then retrofit "modern" ones back into the car. But there will be plenty of engineering involved and not to mentioned the labour costs. If it was easy and not cost-prohibitive, the Arnage would have been "modernized." The current Rolls Royce company (under BMW) made 15 "bespoke" cars called Phantom Pinnacle Travel. They have elaborate wood work, leather work and embroidery. The amount of labour spent on assembling these 15 cars were twice that of a regular Phantom. The price in the US is around $710k+ so that's more than a third more from a regular model. Keep in mind that the performance is the same; if anything else, it may even perform less due to the added weight of the extra coach work. Whether that's worth it or not depends on the potential buyer. Mercedes Maybach is another example where high-tech meets ultra-luxury. But I am not entirely sure whether both the Pinnacle Travel and the Maybach would fit the description of old-world classiness. German manufacturers are great engineers but when it comes to coach works, the British is hard to beat; although they are going the way of the Dodo bird though. Connolly leather is long gone and I have yet to see modern wood veneers as good as the ones from the original Crewe. Anything is possible so long as one is willing to pay and wait for it. But those two requisites could be more difficult than you would think.