The Bentley Azure
Photo courtesy of Bentley Motors


Bentley's two flagship models (or marques) are the Arnage and the Azure. The Arnage is a four-door sedan, while the Azure is a two-door convertible. The Arnage model has three major variations - the Arnage R, the Arnage T and the Arnage RL.
The Arnage R (the R, according to Bentley's Web site, is for "refinement") is all about elegance and comfort. Each car comes with natural wood panels, chrome controls, a handcrafted leather interior and a powerful 6.75-liter, twin-turbocharged, V8 engine. The engine gives the car 450 horsepower, quite a kick for a luxury vehicle.

The Bentley Arnage
The Arnage T is more about power and speed than its cousin. Its engine provides 500 horsepower, allowing the driver to push the car at speeds of 179 miles per hour (mph). It can go from 0 to 60 in just 5.2 seconds. Many Bentley enthusiasts see the Arnage T as a direct descendent of early Bentleys, when speed and performance were more important than luxurious interiors.

The Arnage RL Limousine
Photo courtesy of Bentley Motors
The Arnage RL is actually a limousine (the L stands for "long wheelbase"). Bentley extended the wheelbase by 10 inches, meaning they expanded the rear compartment of the vehicle so that passengers have extended leg room. The RL line has the same engine as the Arnage R cars. Arnage RL cars often include the latest technological advances, including entertainment systems with video game consoles or mobile office communications systems. Bentley limited the Arnage RL production run to just 20 vehicles.

The Bentley Continental GT
Photo courtesy of Bentley Motors
The Azure line features an engine similar to the one found in the Arnage R. It's a 6.75-liter, V8 engine that provides 450 horsepower, allowing drivers to push the car up to 171 mph. The engine's torque provides a smooth transition as the Bentley changes gear and increases speed. Bentley calls the performance "effortless."
Besides the Arnage and Azure lines, Bentley also produces a line of cars under the marque name Continental. The Continental GT is the fastest Bentley designed so far. This two-door coupe can top speeds of 200 mph. In a similar vein, the Continental GTC is a convertible based off the GT coupe design. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 mph in just 5.1 seconds. The Continental Flying Spur is a four-door sedan that's aimed at wealthy, but not extremely rich, clientele.
Bentley offers one other model of car, the Brooklands. Named after a racing circuit famous during the heyday of the Bentley Boys, the Brooklands sold out its first year of production before a single car was ready for delivery. Bentley says they will produce only 550 of these cars, then retire the marque. They've scheduled the delivery of the first Brooklands cars for 2008.