2001 Bentley Arnage Le Mans

The example we have with us today has been owned by our knowledgeable RR/Bentley vendor since October 2024.

He bought it with a view to fettling it into the best possible version of itself and intended to use it as a daily driver thereafter.

Consequently, it is he you must thank for over £12,000-worth of remedial, repair and servicing work – heavy lifting that you won’t have to do. 

The car is rendered yet more unusual by its exterior hue of ‘Silver Storm’, a special order colour from previous model-year Arnages. 

The car is in very decent mechanical and dynamic order, as we can attest. 

It drives with all the effortless power and poise for which both the marque and the model are rightly lauded, and it is does everything asked of it with competence, capability and a welcome absence of rattles or squeaks. 

The vendor has spent over a year mechanically recommissioning this Arnage Le Mans and getting it up to the high standards he sets for his cars.

Work carried out includes (but is far from limited to) an overhaul of the steering system, with a reconditioned steering rack and the re-manufacture of new PAS pipes and hoses; a similarly meticulous overhaul of the fuel injection system; and replacement of the steering wheel clock spring - a frequent but tricky-to-resolve cause of the unwanted illumination of the airbag warning light. 

He has also handed his money over to various painters, trimmers and saddlers in pursuit of elevating the car’s exterior and interior finish.

There is still some cosmetic work to consider on the exterior. The vendor’s recent purchase of another Bentley (from us, as it happens) means that the opportunity to put the finishing touches to this magnificent car now falls to you – should you be so inclined. 

The vendor tells us that the electric aerial needs replacing and the boot-lid struts need re-gassing or replacing. 

We would add that upon starting the car shows an Oil Level warning light; we understand that this is caused by a faulty sensor in the sump that is not currently available.  But, according to the dipstick, the oil level is fine.  And the oil pressure gauge shows a very healthy reading.

The car generally presents well from every angle and sits with a proper, square stance.

 The bodywork is free of any major dinks, dents, creases or ripples that we can see, and the shut-lines and panel gaps are those you would hope and expect to find on a car of this quality (and cost).

The doors close with all the heft and certainty that the Bentley badge promises.

The paintwork is more of a curate’s egg: it’s good in parts, less so in others, and needs some attention here and there.

We found a small outbreak of bubbling at the base of the offside ‘A’ pillar and a little nascent corrosion in evidence on both nearside wheel-arches.

The front air-dam is a newly replaced item and has yet to pick up any meaningful road-rash, although there are stone chips, scuffs and a few scratches to be found around the ‘nose’ of the car, the leading edge of the bonnet and atop both front wings.

The paint above the front grille looks a little flat and patchy in places and the lacquer has peeled away in a couple of spots here and on the nearside wing mirror housing.

We also found a few scuffs and scrapes on the boot lid just below the number plate.

The chrome-work has held up well everywhere, as have the wheels, although they have the odd scuff here and a spot of bubbling under the lacquer there.

All four road tyres are Pirelli P-Zero Rosso items and look to have plenty of life left in them. 

The lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings all look to be present, correct, and in good order. 

The interior of this car is, as ever with Bentley, a masterclass in the arcane crafts and skills of the saddler, French polisher and rug-weaver. 

It is all in very decent overall condition and has evidently been treated with the care and respect such luxurious surroundings deserve.

The re-Connollised ‘Barley’ hide upholstery with ‘French Navy’ inserts and secondary trim is free of any rips, holes, tears or other aberrations of consequence, save for a few creases and cracks to the leather on the front seat squabs and the outer bolster of the driver’s seat backrest.  

The rear seats, inevitably, look as if they’ve rarely supported the weight of anything much heavier than a Panama hat or a handbag.

The various dark burr walnut inserts on the centre console and dashboard have successfully resisted the temptation to shed their lacquer, fade or crack, although the door cappings have succumbed in a couple of places.

Aside from the merest hint of bagginess, or small air pockets, in a couple of places, the headlining is very good.

So, too, are the door cards.

The carpets and mats are in fine fettle, and the lambswool over-rugs are sufficiently thick to make your trousers think your shoes have been stolen.

Lifting up the bonnet reveals a very full engine bay, with most of the contents hidden from view under cowls and covers.

What we can see, though, is clean and dry.

The car’s undersides are equally reassuring and nothing we’ve seen has given us any cause to question the car’s structural integrity or doubt its character or honesty.

The car comes with a number of invoices, bills and receipts attesting, primarily, to work carried out in recent years.

It also comes with a selection of old MoT certificates, a recent HPI report, a V5C and an MoT certificate, with no advisories whatsoever, that’s valid until 27th February 2026.

We’ve often opined that buying a secondhand Bentley is very much a case of caveat emptor.

People who have failed to heed this sage advice usually have a haunted, hollow look about them as they shuffle along, heads down, bitterly pondering how they could have made such a rash and calamitous decision.

To avoid the risk of swelling their forlorn ranks, you’ll need to find an example that’s been properly looked-after mechanically and dynamically: ideally one with a few minor cosmetic jobs left to consider – so you’ve got something to do over the long winter months.

This vanishingly rare Le Mans example ticks all the right boxes for us. 

We’re confident to offer this fine car for auction with an estimate of £16,000 - £20,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET, 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’.