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2007 Bentley Azure Preview

Bentley Renames its Drophead Coupe Concept "Azure" Ahead of Production


Bentley announced yesterday that its Drophead Coupe Concept, which received such rave reviews when introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show earlier this year, would be designated with the revered Azure name when it goes on sale next year.

"We have been inundated with demand for a new Azure virtually from the moment the original model ceased production," commented Adrian Hallmark, member of the board, sales and marketing. "The exclusivity, style, luxury and performance of the new Bentley convertible flagship evoke the Riviera lifestyle like no other, fully justifying the revival of the Azure name."

Anyone who thought that Bentleys flagship Arnage was on its way out of production after the unprecedented sales success the luxury marque has experienced with its new Continental

Anyone whos taken a stint behind the wheel of a Bentley Arnage will be able to attest to the lofty price being worth every penny, as will be the new Azure convertible. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

GT coupe, and expects to achieve with the upcoming Continental Flying Spur four-door sedan based on the GTs architecture, may have jumped to conclusions too soon. The Volkswagen-owned British automaker still sells a substantial number of top-line Arnage sedans, available in R, RL, T, T Mulliner and Limousine configurations, the latter not certified for North America, for an even more substantial entry price of $211,990.

Anyone whos taken a stint behind the wheel will be able

The arrival of the Arnage Drophead Coupe, to be called Azure when it reaches production, Concept may have been a bit of a surprise to those attending the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show where it was unveiled. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

to attest to the lofty price being worth every penny, not only because of the cars impossibly athletic road manners but also due to its superior craftsmanship and stunning attention to detail.

Yet as wonderful as it is, the arrival of the Arnage Drophead Coupe Concept must have been a bit of a surprise to those attending the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show where it was unveiled. After all, many would have been expecting the luxury marques well kept secret to be something else. What, per say? Talk of the upcoming

"If customer demand is there, it could go into production within a very short space of time - as early as spring 2006," avered Bentley CEO Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen when the concept was unveiled in L.A. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

Continental GT-based Flying Spur four-door sedan had kept automotive analysts playing guessing games as to when it would debut, as did the highly anticipated Drophead Coupe (British for convertible if you hadnt already figured that one out) version of the lovely new GT, which is probably the single strongest reason why the Arnage-based drop-top was unexpected.

While Bentley dubbed it a concept, the luxury marques CEO Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen admitted that production of the convertible Arnage would start in spring 2006 "if public reaction to the concept is favorable". "The 2005 Arnage range (which will share its general architecture with the new Azure), has been extensively re-engineered at significant cost and is a very modern, high-technology saloon," added Paefgen. (Photo: Bentley Motors) />
The Bentley CEO added, "We had such amazing success with the Bentley Azure, which has developed a cult following although production stopped in 2003. Theres no reason why this new Arnage derivative couldnt fill the gap left by the Azure. If customer demand is there, it could go into production within a very short space of time - as early as spring 2006."

Of course, in this league a favorable reaction needed to be a great deal more than oohs and ahs from show-goers passing by the Bentley stand, but rather deposit checks written for a vehicle that will reach far beyond a $300,000 purchase price when it would go on sale. This said, prices for the

The Azure will most likely sport the same all-powerful 6.75-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that accelerates the Arnage sedan with such alacrity. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

Azure have not yet been set, but will become known closer to when the vehicle becomes available for sale.

Despite an expected Continental convertible, the much more expensive Azure still makes a lot of sense. The previous Azure did very well, due to its extreme exclusivity, caused by a price that was much greater than a Continental GT based convertible isexpected to fetch, and being that Bentley updated its flagship sedan at great expense for the 2005 model year, a derivative product built off of its architecture would incur relatively low development costs and therefore reasonable potential profits even with low volume sales. To this end Paefgen commented, "The 2005 Arnage range has been extensively re-engineered at significant cost and is a very modern, high-technology

The new Azure will likely offer a comfort-biased suspension system plus a version of the Arnage Ts sport-oriented setup. (Photo: Bentley Motors)

saloon. It is natural, therefore, that we would use this base to further our reputation as the pre-eminent builder of large, luxury convertibles in the world."

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