Final Bentley Azure Rolls Off the Assembly Line

UK's Crewe plant produced the last Bentley Azure, the big British luxury four-seater cabriolet. Built entirely by hand and derived from the Arnage saloon, the Azure ends production, leaving the market of super luxury cabriolets to the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe alone. The moment also marks the final chapter for the Arnage platform, since the saloon isn't produced anymore, being replaced by the new Mulsanne, while the Brooklands coupe limited series of 550 units has also been reached.

Bentley will now focus on the production of the Mulsanne, which will have other variants as well. The first of these could be the new Azure, which could have even a four-door version. The current Bentley Azure debuted in 2006, using the Arnage platform. The big cabriolet is powered by the 6.75 liter V8 turbocharged engine, which develops 456 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque (875 Nm). The 2.7 tonne monster reaches 62 mph in 5.9 seconds and a top speed of 171 mph (274 km/h).

In 2009, Bentley released the Azure T, a higher performance version featuring a twin turbocharged engine unleashing 507 horsepower and 740 lb-ft of torque (1,000 Nm). The 0-62 mph time dropped to 5.5 seconds, while top speed rose to 179 mph (288 km/h). The first generation of the Azure was released in 1995 and was built on the Continental R platform. It was powered by the same 6.75 litre V8 engine producing 400 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque (875 Nm). The 0 to 60 mph sprint took 6.1 seconds.

The United States Department of Energy lists Bentley Azure as the least fuel-efficient car in its class, with only 9 mpg city and 15 mpg highway rates.