Bentley confirms production Arnage convertible

WE saw the Rolls-Royce Phantom-based 100EX at Geneva last year: now Bentley has one step ahead by confirming its Arnage Drophead Coupe concept will go into series production.

Expected to be a good deal less expensive than the convertible Roller, the production Arnage Drophead Coupe convertible should be faithful to the four-seater Drophead Coupe concept revealed at January’s Los Angeles motor show when it goes into showrooms in the second half of 2006.

According to Bentley, reaction to the drop-top show car at LA was so intense that its production future was decided immediately.

Based on the 2005 model year Arnage, the convertible version will take up where the eight-year-old Bentley Azure left off.

"We knew that the Drophead Coupe would create quite a stir," said Bentley chairman Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen, "because it is the most sensationally beautiful convertible with strikingly contemporary lines and an unashamed luxurious interior.

"Yet even we were surprised by how much demand there has been for us to put it into production. Our customers obviously remembered how good our last convertible was and naturally their expectations for this car were even higher. I'm glad to say they haven't been disappointed." The Arnage Drophead Coupe will be the fourth new model to go on sale since Bentley became part of the Volskwagen Group in 1998, joining the Continental GT Coupe, the 2005 Model Year Arnage and the four-door Continental Flying Spur.

Powered by a 336kW/875Nm 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged and intercooled V8, the ADC features a complex three-layer folding canvas roof, which opens hydraulically at the touch of a button in less than 30 seconds.

Pricing and full specifications are yet to be revealed.