The Demo Site

Though it's been around in one form or another for decades, Bentley's huge flagship Arnage/Azure is soon to be retired. The 2009 Bentley Azure T, launched at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, is the model line's swan song—and with a 5.2-second 0-to-60-mph time and a 179-mph top speed, the three-ton ragtop represents a helluva way to go out.

But Bentley won't be without a flagship for long. The ultra-lux market "is our heartland," said Stuart McCullough, board member for sales and marketing, during an interview at the L.A. show. He went on to say that the Arnage replacement will have an "attitude toward craftsmanship and longevity." We take that to mean it will have classic styling and a palatial, extremely lavish interior that does not strive so hard to look modern as its market rival, the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

At the same time, we should also expect the new car to utilize more space-age materials such as the advanced lightweight-polymer seat tracks rendered through rapid prototyping that are found in the $400K Brooklands coupe and the new Azure T.

Finally, the new flagship will also be a torque monster, just like its predecessors. McCullough said that the company focuses on "performance delivery"—i.e. forceful acceleration through extremely high low-end torque. "Our engineers are obsessed with low-end torque." Good. So are we.

Keep Reading: Bentley's Best Yet to Come? - Auto Shows