This is a beautiful example of the curvaceous and high performing
1998 Bentley Azure. These were hand-built masterpieces with a total
production of 209 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 22 years old and
having covered a mere 54,900 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 present owner is an RROC member and has 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. The livery is striking in Diamond Graphite, being accented
with a black Haartz cloth canvas convertible top and striking 17
chromed Bentley five major spoke wheels with blue Bs 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 Bentleys
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 interior is
in very nice 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
drivers 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.
The dash wood veneers are original and are in good condition. There
are several areas where there is slight cracking in the veneer and
there is some light fading noticeable. This can be seen in the
photo gallery. This example is consistent with Bentleys 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
present 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 is a critical aspect to
look for with Azures. This Bentley comes complete with its owners
manuals, two sets of keys, tools, safety equipment. The present
owner also recently installed all new and correct Pirelli radials.
These Azures are sure to increase in value over time. We completed
a detailed inspection and found most everything to be in proper
order (this is rare on Azures). See the inspection report for
details. The drivers seat retracts only intermittently and the
passenger side seat heater isn't functioning. We ran a CARFAX and
found it to be pretty detailed with no accidents or other issues.
This Bentley is ready to show, drive and enjoy. For more details
and information please call or text Harry Clark at 1.602.245.7200
or email us at
[email protected]. The Bentley is available
for inspection at our Phoenix showroom.