Bentley to produce limited run of Arnage limousine concept

Bentley Motors is to produce a limited production run of the Arnage Limousine concept created by its Bentley Mulliner coachbuilding division for the 2004 Geneva International. The resultant car will be truly one of the most exclusive in the world - only 20 individually designed, handbuilt and numbered, bespoke Arnage Limousines will be commissioned, with each customer having access to a personal Bentley Mulliner designer and account manager. Pricing will begin at £270,000 (US$535,000).

In the same spirit as the coachbuilt Bentleys of the 1920s and '30s, customers will be able to commission a car to their own specification. Like the spectacular Speed Six and 8-litre Bentleys that wowed the motoring world in their Roaring Twenties heyday, the Arnage Limousine aims to represent the pinnacle of handbuilt, individually-crafted luxury cars.

Customers will be able to commission a car totally to their requirements. Starting with a 'blank canvas', entire bespoke interiors can be specified, meaning every Arnage Limousine will be unique. Depending on the level of specification, an Arnage Limousine can take up to 6000 man hours to build.

Armour protection can be specified as an integral part of the build process (with uprated suspension and reinforced subframes), ensuring engineering integrity and no restrictions on the car's other options.

The Arnage Limousine chassis is based upon the Arnage R model, with a wheelbase of 3566mm (140.4 inches) providing vast interior space as well as additional rear-seat privacy thanks to deeper 'D'-pillar.

Echoing Bentley's acclaimed past - when customers would personally commission a coachbuilder such as HJ Mulliner to design and fit a body to a Bentley chassis - the process of ordering and owning an Arnage Limousine will entail the same degree of creativity and attention to detail.

When a customer decides to order an Arnage Limousine they will receive a level of service commensurate with their status as a buyer of the world's most exclusive limousine and have access to a personal team of account managers and designers.

At the start of the process, customers will be offered a 'blank canvas' by Bentley Mulliner on which to express a vision of their ideal, bespoke car. Each customer will be able to communicate directly with the factory through their personal account manager, while a Bentley Mulliner designer will visit their home or office during the pre-production phase to assess the prospective design criteria and assist in interpreting their requirements for such a highly specified car.

By starting with this 'blank canvas', Arnage Limousine customers will be able to choose between palatial interiors or fully-integrated mobile offices. The scope for personalisation is as wide as the customer's imagination and whilst the concept is still in the virtual world of computer-aided design, styling sketches and renderings, Bentley Mulliner can be as flexible and creative as that vision demands.

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