Bentley Azure T

Big Bentley drop-top now has 500bhp...

The boys from Crewe have done it again. The standard Azure is no slouch, with 450bhp on tap, but they've decided that this just isn't enough. It's definately time for a 'performance' version - bring out the Azure T.

The engine is the same 6¾ litre V8, and the actual power difference is not vast, adding just another 50bhp. But due to changes in the drivetrain and engine characteristics, torque is up 14% from the standard car's 'modest' 645 lb/ft, to a truly monstrous 738 lb/ft. That is the sort of power that moves mountains. And lorries.

The T is a typically decadent Bentley-fest of cows and trees, with exquisite hides and timbers decking the interior. The outside of the Azure T features some minor tweaks to help identify its sporting aspirations, including new giant 20-inch 5-spoke wheels, large front wing vents, a dark tint matrix grille and a sculpted Flying 'B' ornament that retracts when the car is parked.

0-60mph is dispatched in 5.2 seconds, with the minimum of fuss, and this British bruiser will keep on pushing on to a 179mph top speed (with the roof up, presumably). These figures are only modest increases from the standard Azure, however we expect the real improvements to be in mid-range clout, with all that extra torque now available between 1,800 and 3,800rpm.

This is the third Bentley to bear the flagship 'T' monicker, and suggests that Crewe are not about to change what they do just to fit changing global circumstances. Managing just 14.5 mpg, pumping out 465 g/km of CO2, and with an estimated pricetag of between £240,000 and £250,000, Bentley will be hoping that its customers are feeling similarly defiant.