Grand Bentley looms large

Bentley has provided the first glimpse of its all-new Arnage replacement as part of a teaser campaign that will culminate in the vehicle's unveiling next month.

Referred to for now as the "grand Bentley", the venerable Brit marque boasts the new-gen flagship sedan will be "exceptional in all respects on the road".

The company adds: "Designed, engineered and built in Crewe, it will be the purest expression of the Bentley spirit."

The existing Arnage -- which was twinned with the now-defunct Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph -- made its debut in 1998, and was propelled by a twin-turbo 4.4-litre BMW engine (as the Bavarian carmaker owned the ultra-luxo brand at the time).

However, a subsequent takeover by Volkswagen saw the Arnage revert to the age-old pushrod Rolls-Royce/Bentley 6.75-litre V8, which traces its ancestry back to the 1950s.

The 'grand Bentley' will ditch the dinosaur engine in favour of an all-new powerplant, but it's not yet known whether it will be a derivative of the twin-turbo W12 unit used by the Continental models.

Whatever the engine configuration, expect far greater refinement and fuel efficiency than that offered by the Arnage. Also expect clean-burning flex-fuel variants that suck an E85 ethanol blend.

UK's Autocar is speculating the new car will herald a new era for Bentley as it reportedly uses a modified version of Audi's lightweight spaceframe chassis. This will help pare 150kg from the weight of the bodyshell alone, reports the magazine.

The teaser image issued for now doesn't give away too much about the grand Bentley's visuals, but it appears the car features more sculpted, curvaceous lines than the relatively boxy Arnage.

All will be revealed over the next month, but meanwhile you can keep abreast of the teaser campaign via Bentley's dedicated website for the new car (click here).

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