1999 Bentley Azure

The company built by W.O. Bentley had humble beginnings, in a New Street Mews, London workshop. The first engine was tested in October of 1919, sparking a movement that would appeal to well-heeled sporting drivers, upwardly mobile society and well-heeled aristocrats. Bentley's 3 Litre Class victory at the 1924 24 Hours of Le Mans helped secure the company's reputation, convincing Woolf Barnato, one of the so-called Bentley Boys, to provide financial stability to the young and ambitious company. Under Barnato's chairmanship and employing the technical sophistication created by W.O, the Bentley models won Le Mans in 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930.

The Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression crippled many automakers in its wake, among them was Bentley who, in 1931, was taken over by British Central Equitable Trust headed by Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce formed a new company, closed the Bentley factory in Cricklewood, and moved production to its facilities in Derby. W.O. Bentley left his namesake company and joined Lagonda.

Throughout the decades that followed, Bentley and its parent company changed ownership on two occasions and Rolls-Royce was nationalized by the British government. The automobile division of Rolls-Royce was made an independent business, separate from its aviation arm, and in 1980 Rolls-Royce Motors Limited was acquired by Vickers plc.

Bentley sales plummeted during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Under the direction of Vickers, Bentley's sporting image was restored and the interest in the brand was renewed, increasing production and sales.

Bentley's resurgence had historically relied on models whose basic architecture was shared with other Rolls-Royce products. In the mid-1980s, Bentley deviated from this formula when it displayed 'Project 90' at the Geneva Motor Show. This was a mocked-up coupé intended to gauge public response to the idea of a high-performance car unique to Bentley. The production version followed six years later and was dubbed the Bentley Continental R. Its styling was created with the assistance of consultants International Automotive Design and benefited from computer-aided design and wind tunnel testing in the devising of its streamlined shape. Non-traditional design cues were incorporated such as doors recessed into the roof, yet it retained classic Bentley proportions and appearance. A year after the Coupe was introduced, a convertible was launched named the 'Azure', representing the first Bentley in several decades to use an entirely new name. Like the 'Corniche' and 'Camargue,' it evoked exotic destinations in the South of France.

The Italian styling house of Pininfarina was tasked with designing the soft-top Gran Turismos atop the four-seater Continental R platform. The bodyshells were assembled in Italy by Pininfarina where they received the automatic soft-top, painted and shipped back for finishing at Crewe. The mechanical specification was similar to the Continental R, but with an engine further up-rated to 385 horsepower.

The Bentley Azure rested on a 120.5-inch wheelbase platform and was 210.6 inches in length, stood 58.1 inches tall, and 74 inches wide. The 6.75 liter turbocharged L410 MT 1T V8 engine used a new engine management system from Zytek helping to produce 385 horsepower at 4,000 RPM and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) of torque at 2,00 RPM. Power was sent to the rear wheels via a General Motors-sourced, four-speed 4L80-E automatic transmission. Zero-to-sixty MPH was accomplished in 6.5 seconds and the top speed at 150 mph (241 km/h).

The first generation of the Bentley Azure, known as the Mark I, was built from 1995 to 2003 with a total of 1,403 examples built. For customers seeking even more special bespoke trim, the Azure was available in 'Mulliner' trim from 1999 until the end of production. 28 examples were wide-body Mulliner Azures with around 16 of those being fitted with right-hand drive configuration.

Near the end of production, the Azure was offered in the Final SerpesFinal Series Performance configuration and a total of 62 examples were built. Based on the Bentley Azure Mulliner and powered by the 420 horsepower engine, they received a stiffened suspension and various other improvements.

The Mark II version arrived in 2006 and would remain in production through 2009. Volkswagen acquired Bentley from Vickers in 1998 and decided to continue production of the then-current Azure through 2003.

When the second generation of the Azure arrived in 2006, it rode atop the Arnage platform and came powered by Bentley's twin-turbocharged V8 engine rated at 450 horsepower and 645 lb-ft (875 Nm) of torque. Its wheelbase measured 122.7-inches (+2.2 inches) and had a length of 212.6 inches (+2 inches). The engine bay had been designed to house the BMW 4.4-liter engine but due to the takeover battle in 1998 between BMW and Volkswagen Group for ownership of Rolls Royce and Bentley Motors, BMW leveraged its engine, threatening to end its supply of engines if Volkswagen Group won. When BMW acquired the right to manufacture Rolls-Royce automobiles at a new location, they withdrew their threats. Instead, Volkswagen decided to r-work the 'original' 6.5-liter Rolls-Royce/Bentley V8 engine in 2001, adding a modern twin-turbocharger in the process. With this modern turbocharger in place, turbo-lag was reduced and horsepower increased. The previous GM-sourced gearbox was replaced by a new, six-cylinder ZF 6HP-32 automatic transmission. In this guise, zero-to-sixty mph took 5.6 seconds and the top speed increased to 168 mph (270 km/h).

In 2009, a higher-performance version of the Azure was introduced and dubbed the Azure T. Along with 8.5J x 20-inch five-spoke, two-piece alloy wheels wrapped with 255/40 ZR20 Pirelli P Zero tires and featuring an uprated twin-turbocharged engine, 60mph was achieved in 5.1 seconds and top speed at 179 mph (288 km/h). Styling updates included a 'jewel' fuel filler cap made from billet aluminum, 'Le Mans' lower front wing air vents, wing mirror mountings finished in body color, and dark-tinted upper and lower grilles. The interior housed a large display audio head unit with Secure Digital (SD) memory card slot and iPod/USB/3.5 mm AUX interface. A 'Naim for Bentley' 10-speaker, 1,100W audio system was optional. Standard equipment included a Tire Pressure Monitoring System and Electronic Stability Programme.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2022