Essentially, the Azure is an open version of the Arnage T, but with a raft of modifications to make it as torsionally stiff as possible once the roof has been removed. The tweaks include carbonfibre cross-bracing and new front and rear subframes. The resulting bodyshell, says Bentley, is four times stiffer than before and, says Autocar, more graceful to look at compared with its ungainly predecessor.
Despite its many improvements, however, the Azure still uses an updated version of the 6.75-litre V8 that has been in service at Bentley (and Rolls-Royce, when the two companies were still related) since the beginning of time. Not that there’s a great deal wrong with an engine that produces 450bhp at 4100rpm and (deep breath) 645lb ft at 3250rpm. That’s almost 200lb ft more torque than a McLaren F1, in other words.
Trouble is, unlike the McLaren, the Azure uses a rather antiquated four-speed GM automatic gearbox to deploy its titanic forces and the engine itself is as heavy as it is handsome. The total kerb weight of this car is 2697kg, or, to put it another way, very nearly three Renaultsport Clio 197s. Which means the Azure needs all the torque it can muster if it’s to provide the sort of performance Bentley – and its customers – require.
