Bentley Azure

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The Bentley Azure is a large, four seater convertible built by Bentley Motors Limited at their factory in Crewe, England. The model debuted in 1995 on the Continental platform and lasted in its original guise through 2003; an updated version sporting a significantly upgraded engine and riding on the newer Arnage platform debuted in 2006.

[edit] 1995 to 2003

Bentley Azure
Manufacturer	Bentley Motors Limited
Production	1995–Present
Assembly	Crewe, England
Predecessor	Bentley T-series
Class	Grand Tourer
Body style(s)	2-door convertible
Layout	FR layout
Wheelbase	120.5 in (3061 mm)
Length	210.3 in (5342 mm)
Width	81 in (2057 mm)
Height	58.1 in (1476 mm)
Curb weight	5750 lb (2608 kg)
Related	Rolls-Royce Corniche (2000), Bentley Continental R, Bentley Arnage

The Azure debuted for 1995 on the then-current version of the company's aging Continental platform. At 210 inches in length and 5,750 pounds in weight, the Azure often surprised onlookers with its size and bulk, intended to both convey a sense of "presence" and allow for comfortable seating of four adult passengers.

Power came from the company's stalwart 6.75 Liter V8, featuring a single, intercooled Garrett turbocharger and producing 400 horsepower (298 kW) and 645 ft·lbf (875 N·m) of torque; power was routed to the rear wheels via a modified, General Motors sourced 4-speed automatic transmission. With a 0 to 60 miles per hour time of 6.1 seconds, the Azure was very fast for a car of its size, weight and poor aerodynamic profile.

Owing to the limited space and workforce at Bentley's Crewe factory, the Azure's thick, powered convertible top was designed and manufactured by Pininfarina, which significantly added to the vehicle's cost. New in 1995, the Azure was priced at $347,645; $36,355 more than the Continental on which it was based, despite the Continental being a much larger, more practical car with four doors.

From 1999 through the end of production, the Azure was also available in "Mulliner" trim, which added special bespoke trim and additional equipment and allowed the buyer the option for further customization during the build-process; pricing varied by car, as equipment could be significantly different from one to the next depending on customer requests.

[edit] From 2006 on

Volkswagen purchased Bentley from Vickers in 1998; already three years into production, Volkswagen executives decided to keep the then-current Azure in production through 2003, then release its successor at a later date, when other model updates had already been dealt with; production of the updated Azure began for the 2006 model year.

Now based on the Arnage, power comes from the current variant of the Bentley turbocharged V8 making 450 hp (340 kW) and 645 ft·lbf (875 N·m) of torque. Volkswagen funded a significant re-working of the engine in 2001 to moderize it, which included a switch from the old single-turbo system to a modern twin-turbocharger setup, reducing turbo-lag and increasing horsepower output; a new, model-specific 6-speed automatic transmission feeds power to the rear wheels.

Bentley claims a 0 to 60 mile-per-hour time of 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 168 mph (270 km/h) , slightly faster than the previous edition and still very good for a vehicle of this size and weight.

The United States Department of Energy lists Bentley Azure as the least fuel-efficient car in its class ^[1] with only 9 mpg–U.S. (26.13 L/100 km / 10.8 mpg–imp) city and 15 mpg–U.S. (15.68 L/100 km / 18 mpg–imp) highway rates.

[edit] References

1. ^ Most and Least Fuel Efficient Cars

• Ray Hutton. "Bentley Azure". Car and Driver (June 1995): 101–102. 

v • d • e Bentley ownership and road car timeline, 1920s–present – now a marque of the Volkswagen Group (Volkswagen AG) (VWAG)
Type	1920s		1930s		1940s		1950s		1960s		1970s		1980s		1990s				2000s
	Independent		Rolls-Royce															Volkswagen Group
Sports car	3 L	4½ L			WWII
Saloon		6½/Six	4L/3½ 4¼L/V			VI	R	S1/S2/S3		T1		T2	Mulsanne								CFS
Premium		8 L										Camargue						Arnage
Coupé											Corniche			Continental & C Turbo		Continental R/S/T				C GT
Convertible																	Azure				C GTC
Founder: Walter Owen Bentley • Bentley Motors corporate website • A marque of the VWAG group • Bentley Boys

v • d • e Bentley automobile timeline, 1980–2003 – now a marque of the Volkswagen Group (Volkswagen AG) (VWAG) – next »
Type	1980s										1990s										2000s
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3
Saloon					Eight
	Mulsanne								Mulsanne S					Brooklands					Arnage			Arnage RL/R
			Mulsanne Turbo				Turbo R											Turbo RT		Arnage Red Label			Arnage T
Coupé												Continental R
															Continental S		Continental T
Convertible	Corniche				Continental											Azure
colour code:	Silver Shadow-based								Mulsanne-based								Arnage-based
Founder: Walter Owen Bentley • Bentley Motors corporate website • A marque of the VWAG group • Bentley Boys

v • d • e « previous — Bentley automobile timeline, 1998–present – a marque of the Volkswagen Group (Volkswagen AG) (VWAG)
Type	1990s		2000s
	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Saloon car	Arnage							Continental Flying Spur
		Red Label			Arnage R/T
				Arnage RL
Coupé	Continental R					Continental GT
	Continental T										Brooklands Coupé
Convertible										Continental GTC
	Azure								Azure
colour code:	Mulsanne-based				Arnage-based				Continental GT-based
Founder: Walter Owen Bentley • Bentley Motors corporate website • A marque of the VWAG group • Bentley Boys • Bentley Speed 8