Bucking industry convention, Bentley chose not to unveil its glitzy new Mulsanne at an auto show, but rather take it directly to the people who can afford to buy one. The new flagship, which brings back the Mulsanne name and effectively replaces the heavy and huge Arnage, was rolled onto the verdant lawns of the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where the tarps came off at high noon.

My, What Big Eyes You Have!

Six inches longer than the Arnage but similar in height and width, the Mulsanne is indeed flagship-sized. Certainly, the most dominant aspect of the big Mulsanne’s design is the pair of gargantuan Gatling-gun headlamps flanked by smaller ancillary lights, an arrangement that recalls some of Bentley’s grand saloons of the past. The grille is huge and cliff-like, while the lower air intake spans the width of the car and features a matching mesh. It is, as intended, unmistakably Bentley, with a nod to the present in the form of an octet of Audi-like LED driving lights.

Moving down the body and around the back, one encounters plenty of pretty surface detailing but no surprises. It's easy to pick out cues from the Arnage (the chrome latticework around the windows), the Brooklands (C-pillar, taillamps), and the Continental Flying Spur. The body side rises over the rear fender, keeping the rear from looking droopy in spite of its long overhang, which elegantly slopes down to the rear bumper and its pancake-flat twin exhaust tips. The wheels are no less than 21 inches in diameter, and come wrapped in 265/40 series Pirelli P Zeros.

“The Driver’s Choice.” Really . . .

Visually, the new Mulsanne is not as gauche as the Rolls-Royce Phantom with which it will go head-to-head in the marketplace. Nor, however, is it as dull as the Maybach 57. “We wanted it to be the driver’s choice” in its segment, said Dirk Van Braeckel, who spoke to us during a private unveiling the night before the Concours. He cites the slim windows and “almost coupe-like roofline” as elements that say “I’m a driver’s car.” His words, not ours.

Whether or not the Mulsanne truly is the “driver’s choice”—in a segment where many owners don’t drive—remains to be seen. Certainly, the engine will be key to this, but other than saying it's a completely redesigned version of its famous 6.75-liter engine, and one which will deliver “the effortless wave of torque for which Bentley is renowned,” Bentley is mum on details.

We imagine this means it will outperform the 500 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque produced by the Arnage Final Series, and as the Mulsanne is said to have been inspired by the palatial 8-Litre Bentleys of 1930 and 1931, we wouldn’t be surprised if it displaces eight “litres.” We also expect that it will be able to run on E85, since Bentley has pledged to tread more lightly on the environment with its future products, although we shudder to think of what sort of fuel economy it will get on the stuff.

Coming to a Country Club Near You in Mid-2010

The Mulsanne will go on sale within a year and will be shown next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show, where Bentley will give us more information on the car, which at this point will only be displayed in standard-wheelbase form. Long-wheelbase and “Speed” versions will probably end up being part of the portfolio, with a Brooklands-esque coupe and Azure-like convertible likely to follow sometime down the road. As for price? Bentley made a point to prepare us for a price increase by saying the Mulsanne "is not a replacement for Arnage" and that it will be "at the pinnacle of the ultra-luxury segment." Given that, we don’t expect Mulsanne customers to get much change back from a $350K bill.

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