2005 Bentley Arnage R

With a service history from new and only two former keepers, this 2005 Bentley Arnage Burnt Oak Metallic has only recently been repatriated from Japan, where it’s spent its entire working life.

This is Good News; regular followers will know we never fail to be impressed by how well cars are curated in Japan, even allowing for the fact the ones selected to be shipped here are, by their very nature, the crème de la crème of what’s available.

And ‘LF05 NVN’ really is something very special as not only is it loaded to the gunnels and finished in an unusual (and unusually attractive) colour, it’s also managed to hang on to its service history, so there’s documentary proof of the quality of curation it’s benefitted from.

As if your eyes weren’t enough…
 

Doesn’t Burnt Oak Metallic (paint code 9560113 ) look good? Of course, it helps when the panels are as straight and beautifully aligned as this, but that colour really is something else, isn’t it?

Subtle and regal, it’s a million miles from the more usual colours; please don’t get us wrong, we love a silver or a deep blue Bentley as much as the next person, but if an Orange Flame Bentayga would be a lottery winner’s choice, Burnt Oak Metallic is what someone would choose whose ancestors turned a blind eye to Henry the VIII’s shenanigans.

It’s the original paint too, and it’s worth remembering that a car is only original once.

The light brown/orange pinstripes Bentley applied along the flanks add interest and also serve to demonstrate that the car’s wings and doors are free of dents, dinks, and other damage.

The honeycomb grille, with its impressive chrome surround, sits above a very good chrome upper bumper, and all of these appointments are free of pitting and tarnishing. The lower section of the bumpers is painted the same colour as the bodywork, and both the front and rear bumpers run straight and are in fine fettle.

As for the door mirror caps, the parts of the car that can suffer in city driving as other vehicles try to squeeze past you, these are also free of damage.

Remember what we said about the quality of curation in Japan? Well, this Arnage makes the point as eloquently as any we’ve seen.

The good news continues because the 19-inch chromed alloy wheels not only add a discreet touch of flash to an otherwise admirably restrained motorcar, they’re also free of any kerbing marks whatsoever.

And they’re fitted with a matching set of 255/45R19 Pirelli P-Zero tyres with build dates of between 2018 and 2020.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

The centre caps, lamp lenses, badges, and glazing is all good too.

Flaws, therefore, are few. The offside rear corner has a couple of light, barely perceptible scratches to it but that’s it. It really has retained every ounce of the considerable presence it had when it landed in Japan 20 years ago.

Your job, therefore, is to continue to keep it this good for the next two decades.

No pressure then. 
 

As a car like the Arnage is more about how decadent the cabin is than anything else, shall we start in the rear?

There are, of course, fold-down picnic tables and these are finished in the same veneer as everything else – and there is a LOT of veneer inside the Bentley.

The leather roof lining is clean, taut, and undamaged, which covers the holy trinity of headlining attributes and there’s even veneer up there courtesy of not one but two elegant switch panels, one of which controls the map lights for the rear seat passengers.

Those in the rear also get wood-framed vanity mirrors in the C-pillars too, plus acres of legroom with which to enjoy some of the most neatly installed carpets in the business.

Not that those in the front have been forgotten because the front seats are electrically adjustable and have no fewer than four memory positions. They also feature two-stage heating, and all are remarkably well preserved with the three passenger seats showing nothing more than gentle creasing to their surfaces.

(An Easter egg is the contrast stitching throughout the cabin, which is the same colour as the pinstripe along the flanks; how cool is that?)

Of course, there’s even more walnut veneer in the front than there is in the back, plus deep chrome controls and some of the very finest hide in the business on the dashboard, transmission tunnel, and doors.

The steering wheel combines hide and walnut veneer in a very effective way, and those in the front even get a leather pouch in their footwell to keep their mobile phone in; no loose phone rattling around and scuffing the veneer in this Bentley.

As you’d expect, the speedometer face has been changed to one that reads in miles-per-hour, but the old one has been retained and is in the car’s history file.

The boot contains a partial tool kit, a space-saver spare wheel, the Alpine navigation system, and the CD multichanger for the Pioneer Carrozzeria headunit.

The overall level of fit ‘n’ finish in the luggage compartment is equal to that of the cabin, and it’s so well preserved that even the paper label with the option codes it left the factory with is still intact.

As for wear and tear inside, there is some very light scuffing and softening to the outer edge of the driver’s seat, and the veneer on the door cappings is cracked.
 

The paperwork in the history file might be in Japanese but we think we’ve deciphered it as showing attention at the following intervals: 9,714kms, 14,038kms, 26,860kms, 29,750kms, 32,396kms, 34,210kms, 44,197kms, 37,710kms, 54,093kms, and 80,300kms.

The current odometer reading is 84,163 kilometres.

The V8 engine whispers into life and shows good oil pressure straight away.  

The seller says "it starts, runs & drives very well, but is due a thorough service now for sure", (that will be for the winning bidder to carry out).

We noted the front suspension felt clunky when going over a pothole (hard not to do these days). Please send your mechanic to inspect the car thoroughly.

The underside is as neat and clean and beautifully preserved as everything else thanks to above-average curation and no road salt in the winter; if you can ignore the odd rusty fastener, you’ll struggle to find any corrosion whatsoever – and if you think that’s marketing hyperbole, please feel free to make an appointment to pop along and check for yourself; the kettle’s always on!
 

The Bentley’s MoT certificate, which is valid until January 2026, was issued with no advisories.

It’s got the certificate to prove it meets the requirements of Euro 4, making it both ULEZ-complaint and only £360 a year to tax.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear bar the marker for being an imported car. It also comes with two key fobs, a mileage verification certificate, and a V5 registration document upon which yours will be the first name.

It’s also got its handbook and wallet, and, unusually, its servicing and annual records from Japan. These are almost invariably removed when the cars are exported, so their presence is a real bonus. 

The seller drove it to us from London (100+ miles) and reported that it runs and drives very well.
 

Despite the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, we can’t be alone in wondering whether we have tended to place an undue emphasis on fuel economy; after all, the greatest motoring cost is almost always depreciation, so if you can rule that out then the options open to you expand exponentially…

And if you’re going to go big then you might as well go all in, and the key to buying one of the world’s most luxurious cars is to pick once and pick well; a full service history is just the starting point, with matching tyres and as few owners as possible being next on our list – and if you can pick up a freshly imported car that’s spent its life in Japan, then all the better.

With this in mind, we suspect the virtual hammer will fall somewhere between £24,000 and £28,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.