Description
This is lot number 167 in the Bonhams Zoute sale on October 6th, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Without doubt the best documented Bentley Azure ever
Rare Belgian-delivered example
Special-order 'Blanc Carrara' paint with black 'Beluga' hide interior
'Piano black' veneer, 19" 7 Spoke painted wheels, black faced instrument gauges, etc
Staggering new price of 353, 149
Under 17, 000 km from new
Beautiful condition
Belgian registration document
A legacy of the Rolls-Royce/ Bentley takeover battle with BMW, Volkswagen's use of a rival manufacturer's engines could only be a temporary measure, and so future models would use the 'old' Bentley V8, suitably up-rated with twin turbochargers for the new Azure convertible. As well as the twin turbochargers, replacing the single unit used previously, this venerable engine was extensively reworked, Bentley claiming that more than half the parts were new. In this form it produced 450bhp and a mighty 645lb/ ft of torque, while a new ZF six-speed automatic transmission fed this abundance of power to the rear wheels. Bentley claimed a 0-100km/ h acceleration time of 5. 6 seconds and a top speed of 270 km/ h, slightly faster than the previous model and still excellent for a vehicle of its size and weight.
This spectacular Bentley Azure was ordered new by our vendor, its sole (Belgian) private owner, in the special Blanc Carrara paintwork: a non-metallic white just like the Porsches this gentleman used to own and thus in keeping with his sense of tradition. The car was delivered new via Bentley Knokke - a mere 3 kilometres from our sale venue - for the staggering new price of 353, 149 (original purchase invoice on file). The owner especially requested that the rear aerial hole be deleted at his factory visit in Crew, Great Britain, (it is probably the only Azure to have this delete).
The Bentley was registered on personalised small-size Belgian registration plate 'LX001' and is still on its original registration today. Until this summer the car was sitting on its original tyres dating from 2007, but these have just been replaced because of their age. The car was serviced this summer and has never been taken out of use, going to the technical inspection every year as well as to the Bentley dealership for servicing (full documentation available). Accompanying history consists of the following:
The original first Belgian registration document, valid technical inspection, Certificate of Conformity, etc
Original books including the stamped service book, pouch, etc
All correspondence between the owner, the dealer and the factory (date-stamped by the meticulous owner)
Books, folders, etc.
As one would expect of a car of this class, the Azure is exceptionally well specified, incorporating just about every conceivable option and a high degree of personalisation. It has been meticulously maintained and thoroughly documented and remains in absolutely excellent condition throughout: in short, this is as good as it gets.
