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AEROSPACE AUTOMOTIVE BUILDING RAIL ELECTRONICS MEDIA & PR |
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When Bentley set about creating the perfect saloon car, safety was paramount on their wish list. With this in mind that they commissioned Superform to create the cant rail which houses and deploys the car’s airbags, an important safety feature of the Arnage T.
Above: Bentley Arnage T (image courtesy Bentley Motor Cars) The Arnage T made its world debut at the NAIAS in Detroit earlier this year where it set pulses racing. More than just a car, the Arnage T is the vehicle with which Bentley sought to push back the boundaries of saloon car performance. Not only is the 450bhp, 168mph dream machine Bentley’s most powerful car, but it is also the fastest production saloon in the world. Part of the Bentley Series Two Arnage family, the Arnage T is the result of a three year project to re-engineer the outstandingly successful Arnage saloon from bumper to bumper and create the ultimate object of desire. So extensive are the engineering modifications to the Series Two Arnage that beneath its updated, but still familiar lines a totally new car has been born with each area of the car being thoroughly evaluated for suitability to the 21st century Bentley driver. Alan Bishop, Senior Engineer Exterior Hardware for Bentley said “We were familiar with the Superform process as we had used it successfully on the original Arnage programme for the boot finisher and radiator shell.
Above: CAD renders showing boot finisher and radiator shell Other processes were considered for the Arnage T project such as pressed mild steel but none could match the timescales for off tool parts that Superform could achieve. They are a particularly easy supplier to work with, due to both the flexibility and the speed of the process.”
Above: CAD render showing cant rail part The Superformed cant rail is an integral part of the ultimate safety system, which operates at lightning speed. The decision to fire the airbags is taken within 10 milliseconds (0.01 sec) of impact and 20 milliseconds (0.02 sec) later the airbag system and side curtains being simultaneously deployed from the cant rail and A -pillar. The airbag system joins an already strong arsenal of passive safety features including two front airbags, front seat belt pre-tensioners and four channel ABS. The Arnage T is the fastest standard production four-door saloon in the world and the most powerful road-going Bentley to date. It produces 450bhp (336kW) and 645lb ft (875Nm) of torque, giving it more torque than any other car engine in series production. It can reach top speeds of 168mph (270km/h) and hit 0-60mph in 5.5 sec and 0-100km/h in 5.8 sec. Immediately identifiable by the famed black label badge, reserved only for Bentley’s most sporting cars, the Arnage T is undisputedly the stuff that dreams are made of and if this car and those figures don’t excite you, check your pulse to see if you are still with us! |
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