Test Drive - 1998 Bentley Azure!

Описание: This is a beautiful example of the curvaceous and high performing 1998 Bentley Azure. These were hand-built masterpieces with a total worldwide production of 162 LHD examples built through the year. The coachwork is pure Bentley, but the convertible top modifications were from Pininfarina. The Azure has a classical elegance that looks contemporary today. When new, this special-order motorcar is said to have had a retail price of about $339,000.

This Bentley is in nice overall condition, belying the fact that its 25 years old and having covered a mere 62,200 miles. It has lived most of its life in Texas and California, and has been regularly serviced and well maintained (documented mainly through CARFAX reports and our inspection). It was ordered new by Overseas Motors in Dallas, Texas and purchased by its first owner Mike Prentiss on September 1, 1997.

This Bentleys previous owner is a longtime RROC member and enjoyed it for the past nine years. Much of the service through the years has been performed by Bentley dealers (showing up as Volkswagen on the CARFAX) or well-known independent specialist, such as ACME Car Service. Importantly, he went through and upgraded all of the more problematic top hydraulics, which is a time consuming $15,000 project. The present owner for the past three years is also a member of the RROC and has judged at annual events.

The livery is striking in Diamond Graphite, being accented with a newer black Haartz cloth canvas convertible top and striking 17” chromed Bentley five major spoke wheels with blue B’s in the chromed hub caps (and the valve stem caps have blue B’s, too!). These top-of-the-line convertibles express the workmanship of Bentley’s hand-crafted excellence. This convertible features such upgrade details as the chromed grill shell with the chromed matrix grill inserts, dual exhaust tips and the blue badging throughout. The exterior paint is nearly perfect. There is no evidence of any prior paint work, and it is in remarkable condition today. The rear bumper has two faint scratches and the front passengers bumper has a slight scrape, both included in the photo gallery. The chrome on two of the wheels shows some peeling upon close inspection.

The interior is in good condition overall. The Mushroom leather is all original and in very nice condition. The interior required minimal touchup of the leather, mainly from the seat belt area in the driver’s seat bolster. The dash pads are also matching Mushroom leather and look excellent. All of the leather is soft and supple with minimal age-related creases. The interior shows typical wear for a 54,000 miles car.

The burr walnut veneers for the cap rails are in excellent condition with no cracks or fading. Blue Flying B emblems have been imbedded into the inlays and looks sharp. The steering wheel has been upgraded to a beautiful burr walnut wheel, which presents with a couple of fine cracks. The dash wood veneers are original and are in good condition. There are several areas where there is cracking in the veneer and there is some light fading noticeable. This can be seen in the photo gallery. This example is consistent with Bentley’s country club ambiance.

The true heart of the Continental R is the engine and drivetrain. The entire drivetrain is based on the Turbo R and it shared all of its components. Built with the venerable Bentley turbocharged 6.75 liter V8, this Bentley has the upgraded 385 bhp about 600 ft. lbs. of torque and incredible torque available at low RPMs. This provided the power to achieve 150 mph and a 0-60 mph time in just over 6 seconds. The power is transmitted through the tried and true GM 4L80E four-speed automatic transmission. And this performance is from a motorcar weighing nearly three tons!

The last owner installed a back-up camera and Navigation system that uses the drivers iPhone through its built in WIFI. He also engineered a very clever removable cup holder that matches the Mushroom leather, as well as a very functional removeable wind deflector for use when the convertible top is lowered to help prevent wind in the passenger compartment. Both the windscreen and the cupholders remove in a matter of moments, leaving appearing completely stock. See photos in the photo gallery of the Navigation/Backup camera, cup holders and windscreen configurations.

We have about ten years of service receipts showing that many of the common problem areas have been addressed. The convertible top hoses and most of the important rubber items and hoses have been replaced during this time. Importantly, since the convertible top systems have all been fully serviced and updated, there are no leaks in this system.

This Bentley is ready to show, drive and enjoy. For more information and details, please call or text Classic Promenade at +1.623.404.9042 or email us at [email protected]. The Bentley is available for inspection at our Phoenix showroom.