Bentley is busier than ever this year, and the luxury automaker has just announced two new models.
According to Auto Express, Bentley CEO Wolfgang Durheimer is considering a resurgence of the Brooklands coupe and Azure convertible.
“I’m truly convinced that we have a lot of opportunities with our existing model lines,” he said. “In Crewe you used to see a very nice convertible called Azure. I hear from our customers that there is remarkable demand for a car like this, and if we do the Azure, the Brooklands just comes automatically.”
The Azure convertible was produced in 1995 as a follow up to the Brooklands luxury saloon, which originally ran from 1992 to 1998. The Azure shared a platform with the Brooklands, and although it was discontinued in 2003, it made a small comeback from 2006 to 2010.
An Azure T version was introduced at the tail end of its second run. The performance variant of the Azure made 500 horsepower from its 6 ¾-liter V8, 50 over standard.
After being shut down in 1998, the Brooklands made a comeback in 2010. It featured a 530-hp twin-turbo V8, a ceramic composite braking system, and a base price of $340,990. Will this be the entry-level coupe Durheimer teased earlier this month? Probably not, but I think Bentley’s version of ‘entry-level’ is a little but different than ours anyway.
Durheimer also expressed interest in expanding the Continental brand, but he didn’t specify what his plans were. A hotter, more hardcore version of the GT3-R is already on deck, so a hybrid variant may be in the cards as well. Durheimer was quoted saying he wants “a plug-in hybrid in 90% of the range before the end of the decade,” so an eco-friendly Continental may not be far off.
As if Bentley’s schedule book wasn’t already bursting at its leather-bound seams, the luxury manufacturer is also planning a brand-new SUV for 2017.
