2001 Bentley Azure

The Bentley Corniche was replaced by the Bentley Continental Convertible, which later spawned the Bentley Azure. The Azure followed in the lineage of its predecessors and was the flagship model offering gentlemanly luxury, comfort, and status. The Azure was developed by Bentley who worked closely with the legendary design studio, Pininfarina, to create an elegant, clean, and well-crafted vehicle. Befitting a car of this prestige, a turbocharged 5.76-liter V8 that produced 400 horsepower and 645 horsepower was used to power the Azure. Zero-to-sixty took a mere six seconds for the 6000-pound vehicle.

The four-seater Azure was in production from 1995 through 2003, and then from 2006 through 2009. The total production from 1994 through 2002 was 1,403 units.

The Azure was introduced in March of 1995 at the Geneva Motor Show and built atop the Continental R platform but with four-seater convertible coachwork built with assistance from Pininfarina. Its wheelbase measured 120.5-inches and it had a length of 210.2-inches.

Beginning in 1999 and continuing through the end of production, the Azure was available in 'Mulliner' trim which added additional equipment and bespoke trim.

Bentley built 194 examples of the Azure for 2001.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2019