by Robert W. Paster

I’m ruined. I’ve seen how the other half lives, and I like it. My glimpse came by way of a 2003 Bentley Arnage R, a $220,000 luxury automobile that combines the ultimate luxury with a surprisingly exciting driving experience. Bottom line: if you can afford it, get it.

Graham Hill, president of Bentley St. Louis in Chesterfield, says it best when he says, “It’s a lifestyle; it separates the men from the boys. It’s for those who appreciate and can afford the best. Nobody needs a Bentley. People buy a Bentley because they want it and because they can.”

What astonished me most about the Bentley was just how much of a difference there really was between it and everything else. It must be like a violinist who gets to play a Stradivarius, or a pianist playing a Steinway; there really is a difference when you use the best instruments.

As expected, the interior of the Bentley was second to none, with acres of soft leather and huge expanses of beautiful wood. But what amazed me is what a kick it was to drive. The old saying was that if you expected to ride in the back, you bought a Rolls; if you intended to drive yourself, you got a Bentley. Always a driver’s car, the latest incarnation of the Bentley Arnage is a true driver’s car with neck-snapping speed and power from its prodigious 6.75 liter twin-turbo V-8 engine, which cranks out 400 horsepower and a whopping 616 pound feet of torque to the rear wheels via a fourspeed automatic transmission. Driven sedately around town, the Arnage feels like a typical smooth luxury car. Whomp the go pedal though, and wow! The beast of an engine hauls this 5,700 pound car around like a sports car. Claimed 0 to 60 times are about 6 seconds, but they feel faster, and with the turbo, power is available throughout the power band, so 40 to 60 mph seems to happen almost instantaneously, and triple digit speeds are hard to avoid. I never thought I’d say this about an almost 3 ton luxury car, but I’d love to get one on a race track.

Handling was remarkable for such a big car that offers a ride that’s smooth as glass. I couldn’t even feel a set of railroad tracks I crossed. Corners were taken with hardly any lean thanks to the front-and-rear double wishbone suspension, and the computer controlled adaptive electro- hydraulic damping system. Braking was also top notch. I didn’t have the nerve to test anywhere near its limits, but if you ever did anything stupid in one, it has a laundry list of electronic wizardry to keep the shiny side up, including Electronic Stability Programme, ABS, Electronic Brake Pressure Distribution, Automatic Slip Regulation, engine drag torque control, hydraulic brake assist and aquaplane detection. Amazingly, once you reach cruising speed, interior noise is almost non-existent. I was able to carry on a conversation with front and rear seat passengers at normal voice levels even at “slightly higher” than legal highway speed.

As expected, the interior of the Arnage is unbelievable. Rich, soft leather swaths the comfortable seats, door panels and dash with exquisite beauty. Gorgeous polished wood is used for the dash, on the door panels, and my favorite – for airplane style picnic tables that extend from the backs of the front seats for back seat passengers. On a visit to the Bentley factory in Crewe, England, I observed the artisans who produce the wood and leather for these cars, and these chaps were definitely craftsman first, and car builders second. It takes one man seven hours just to stitch the leather on the steering wheel,which is itself a work of art.

Front seats are heated, adjustable and lazy-boy comfortable. A full complement of oil, volt and water temperature gauges in the dash is most welcome and really adds to the “driver’s car” spirit. Dual automatic climate control ensures cabin comfort, including vents for the rear seat. The steering wheel only tilts, however, and doesn’t telescope, though I loved how it automatically lifted when the key was removed from the ignition to allow easier ingress and egress. Electric window buttons and seat and mirror adjustment switches are on the center console between the front seats instead of on the doors, and there is no automatic up or down feature on the windows. Headlights, however, can be set to come on automatically when needed. A great feature is the parking assist that beeps when the car gets close to a wall or car in front or in back while parking.

Rear seats are as comfortable as the fronts and are heated, come with adjustable lumbar support and recline (which would come in handy, since I’d have to sell my house and sleep in the car if I bought one). Leg room is phenomenal. An NBA player could stretch his legs out and be comfortable in the back. Small mirrors on the inside of the C pillars allow backseat passengers to check their makeup and hair before exiting. The cupholders were superfluous because I’d never let anyone eat or drink in my Bentley, though an available option is a small refrigerator in the rear seat center armrest to keep the Grey Poupon chilled. It’s no cliché to say that the doors close with the solidity of a bank vault. The trunk is cavernous, with a level floor that could easily swallow tons of Gucci luggage.

During the national Rolls Royce/Bentley Owners Club meet in Newport, R.I. this summer I witnessed a sight few will ever see, almost 300 Rolls and Bentleys of all ages convened on the grounds of Fort Adams overlooking the Atlantic ocean. Probably nowhere else in the world could so many historic, unique and beautiful cars be seen in one place. Every car looked like it had just left the factory. Rolls and Bentley owners obviously take great pride in their cars, and keep them maintained impeccably in original condition.

In the spring of next year Bentley’s newest model, the Continental GT will debut. The GT is a two door coupe with classic, graceful lines and a W-12 560 horsepower engine and four-wheel drive that will propel it to 190-plus miles per hour and go from 0 to 60 in 4.7 seconds. Figure on parting with about $150,000 if you can get one. Rumor is that the waiting list is already two years long. Bentley St. Louis, at its grand opening in May, was the first dealer in the nation to display one of the GT prototypes in its showroom, and it was simply gorgeous.

All the people at Bentley St. Louis are knowledgeable and passionate about Bentleys, and offer the type of service Bentley owners and prospective owners expect. In addition to selling new and used Bentleys, it also sells new and used Maseratis and other used exotic cars such as Rolls- Royces, Mercedes, Ferraris, Porsches and Aston-Martins, some with prices starting at $50,000. Their service department can work on any of these or a myriad of other vehicles as well.

Driving a Bentley really is a lifestyle, and one to which I could become accustomed. It turns heads wherever it goes, so it’s not a good car for shy people. Though it has exclusivity and snob appeal, I would buy one in appreciation of its quality and workmanship. It represents the pinnacle of automotive design and creation, and is extremely well builtwithout compromises; everything about the car and all materials used in its hand-built manufacture are simply the best.

Robert W. Paster is also an attorney in private practice, concentrating in estate planning and probate.

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The Bentley Arnage R