UNLESS you are a bus driver or a trucker, you are unlikely to ever know what 1,000 Newton-metre feels like at the sole of your shoe. That's going to change soon.

If you have the means, and are so inclined, you can avail yourself of Bentley's fetching 2007 Arnage T.

The T has a 6.76-litre twin-turbocharged V8 that produces 500bhp and 1,000Nm of torque. It is the most powerful engine Bentley has ever produced and is, at the moment, the most torquey available in a car here.

The hill-heaving torque is available at just 3,200rpm, which makes the T quite feasible for Singapore roads.

The car delivers its goods in a cultured manner, with none of the tyre-screeching histrionics associated with many overlyendowed machines.

Even so, you feel the thrust of 1,000Nm in your rib cage at kick-down, as the inertia gathered to propel the 2.6-tonne limousine forward hurriedly incurs the full wrath of gravity.

But the Bentley prevails, overcoming the celestial force even as it conspires with friction and the wind to prevent the grand dame from acting like an impetuous sports car.

The Arnage T attains 100kmh in a heady 5.5 seconds, with a fraction of the effort - and ceremony - as the said sports car.

The giant maintains its pace long after your foot leaves the pedal, powered seemingly by nothing more than its mass and momentum.

Such is the preserve of 1,000Nm, which is nearly three times what's available to a Porsche Cayenne.

The latest T has 11 per cent more power and 14 per cent more torque than its 2005 predecessor, which was already a pretty swift titan.

What's more amazing is that the increment has been at no expense to fuel efficiency. In fact, Bentley claims the car consumes 6 per cent less fuel in the city mode than the 2005 model (and 40 per cent less than the original 6.25-litre 200bhp model introduced in the 1950s).

Compared with the 2005 model, there has been no marked change to the engine speeds, compression ratio or turbo pressure. Apparently, all Bentley did to arrive at the monumental output was employ a new pair of highly efficient low-inertia turbochargers, and make minor changes to the engine (including reprofiling the camshaft).

Such is the engine's capacity for expansion. And it is probable that Bentley will stick to this prodigious power plant for decades to come.

The other significant change in the 2007 car lies with the transmission. It now has a modern six-speed ZF autobox, which is as seamless as the previous four-speed transmission but helps reduce consumption and increase top speed by 18kmh to a staggering 288kmh.

The transmission comes with a Tiptronic-style manual override (clearly unnecessary, given the car's sheer effortlessness).

The car also has a new electronic stability programme that is less intrusive. In the cabin, you will find a modern thin-film information monitor and a DVD system (screens on each of the headrest, hidden behind leather roller blinds when not in use).

Pretty much everything else you see and touch in the Arnage T still adheres to tradition. The electric seat adjustments are still limited, lights for the vanity mirrors require switches and you need to insert the ignition key the right way up (or it won't enter).

The test car betrays a tad more vibration than expected and its carpeting is not as thick as expected. Its VW-sourced switchblade-style key tends not to flip open easily, too.

These could be owing to the fact that the demo car has been on a world tour, and well-worn by testers all over.

But with 1,000Nm at your disposal, these niggles are somewhat inconsequential.

BENTLEY ARNAGE T

Price: From $1 million without COE
Engine: 6,761cc 32-valve V8 twin-turbo
Transmission: Six-speed automatic with quick shift
Power: 500bhp at 4,200rpm
Torque: 1,000Nm at 3,200rpm
0-100kmh: 5.5 seconds
Top speed: 288kmh
Fuel consumption: 28.8 litres/100km (city)
Agent: Malayan Motors