Life with Cars.(the unique experiene of riding in a Bentley)(Brief Article)

Was history made one recent Saturday when the worlds of zoology and automobiles collided? Experts will no doubt debate the question for decades. Specifically, whether giving a chipmunk a ride in a Bentley is a world's first or not. We may have to call in Guinness. Pints all around!

But it did happen. The rodent in question earned the royal transportation treatment as part of the Ceppos family catch-and-release chipmunk re-lo program under way at our, um, estate. The Lady Suzanne and I, humanitarians through and through, offered the offending creature a new home in the lush environs down by the river.

And what better way to show our heartfelt concern than ferrying said animal in an automobile of breathtaking provenance and unquestionable stature? A new Bentley Arnage T four-door, slathered in black paint as deep and dark as the Mariana Trench, bedecked in enough twinkling chrome jewelry to satisfy a Duchess of York.

Our furry passenger sprinted from the Bentley without looking back, about the only living being not mesmerized by it. During the five days we had the royal Brit, we attempted to use it like any other automobile. And we proved conclusively that it cannot be done.

It turns out that the world understands Bentley, loves Bentley. And wants to believe in the mythology of Bentley and Rolls-Royce, which until now has been the Bentley's tamer but even upper-crustier twin. The cars' distinctive, upright profile and hulking proportions have been imprint- ed on the Western psyche as deeply as anything from Coke, McDonald's or Levi Strauss. Or Gucci, Rolex or ...