2001 Bentley Arnage Red Label LWB Personal Commission
In 2001, the Arnage LWB (renamed the RL from MY2003), a long-wheelbase model (250 mm (9.8 in) longer than the Arnage), was launched. The extra length is added to the car at both its front and rear doors and its C-pillar to maintain its proportions. With the standard Arnage model, the rear wheel wells butt up against the rear door frames, but with the LWB & RL, they are a few inches further back. The overall effect is a larger rear area inside the car. This style of saloon stretch is sometimes called "double-cut" in the United States, due to the two main points where the car is extended. (Jankel and Andy Hotton Associates, for example, are two aftermarket coachbuilders especially known for this style.) Available only as a bespoke ("Mulliner") model, each LWB & RL is customised to the desires of the buyer. The LWB, however, was also the first of a new series of Arnages which would finally cure the Bentley Arnage of the reliability and performance deficiencies experienced following its forced deprivation of the modern BMW engines it was designed to use. The RL would also present a credible challenge to BMW's attempts to revive the Rolls-Royce brand with its planned new model, the Phantom.
Wheelbases ranged from 3,336 mm (131.3 in) (or only slightly longer than the standard Arnage) to 3,566 mm (140.4 in),[12][13] and even 3,844 mm (151.3 in), the latter two including a 100 mm (3.9 in) increase in the height of the roof. The 3,800 mm (151 in) wheelbase version is stretched between the front and rear doors (rather than at the C-pillar and at the rear doors). The suspension was retuned for the added weight, allowing the larger car to still handle well.
RL models were available with armoured elements, reflecting the car's clientele. A full B6 package was available for $243,000 to $300,000, offering protection from assault weapons and grenades.
Though not particularly well advertised for the reasons stated above, the LWB & RL's introduction saw the introduction of an entirely reworked version of the 6.75-litre V8 engine. Where the engine used in the Red Label was a quickly and less-than-completely-satisfactorily modified version of the Turbo R's unit, the RL featured an entirely reworked version of the old 6.75-litre V8. More than half of the engine's parts were completely new, with Bosch Motronic ME7.1.1 engine management replacing the old Zytek system, and two small Garrett T3 turbochargers replacing the single large T4. This new engine was rated at 405 PS (298 kW; 399 hp) and 835 N⋅m (616 lb-ft) of torque and was said to be capable of meeting all future emissions requirements. The Arnage was now powered by a modern twin-turbocharged unit with state-of-the-art electronic management system similar to the original Cosworth-BMW unit developed for the model in 1998.
In 2002, Bentley updated the Red Label as the series two Arnage R. This model was launched to contrast the Arnage T, which was developed to be a more sporty variant. The Arnage R features two Garrett T3 turbochargers fitted to the engine as with the RL.
The Arnage T, also from 2002, was claimed to be the most powerful roadgoing Bentley at its launch at the Detroit Motor Show. As with the Arnage R, there were twin turbochargers, but the engine was tuned and rated at a higher power output of 456 PS (335 kW; 450 hp) and 875 N⋅m (645 lb-ft) of torque. The Arnage T's 0–97 km/h (60 mph) time is 5.5 seconds and it has a claimed top speed of 274 km/h (170 mph).
All Arnage R and T models share the same 3,116 mm (122.7 in) wheelbase. The Arnage range was facelifted in 2005, with a front end resembling that of the new Continental GT and old Continental R.