New Car: 2010 Bentley Azure T


Really? Of all the cars on the market today that need to muscle up, Bentley’s $342,000 land yacht, the palatial Azure convertible, definitely isn’t one of them. With some 450 horsepower and a prodigious 645 lb-ft of torque available from its twin-turbocharged 6.8-liter V-8, the base Azure can hit 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, a figure that is in no need of improvement, frankly. More to the point—who the hell wants to go hyperspeed in a 6000-pound ragtop, anyway?
In reality, customers interested in fast Bentleys probably aren’t looking at Azures, not with the far faster, far more agile Continental GT/GTC in the same showroom. The more prestigious Azure’s appeal, on the other hand, stems from its inexorable snob factor and old-world opulence—both attributes best savored at relaxed speeds. Indeed, we speculate most Azures will share garage space with a pricey sports car or two that satiate the owner’s occasional need for speed, and thus the likelihood of any Azure T getting tail-happy on a twisty road, or, heaven forbid, hustling around a racetrack is about the same as that of the Queen of England entering an Ultimate Fighting competition.