Bentley creates one-of-a-kind Continental GT Azure to mark 80 years of production in Crewe

Mulliner, Bentley’s customization division, assembled a unique example of the Continental GT Azure to mark 80 years of car production at the Crewe plant in England. The car was presented on August 29 at the British Motor Museum, alongside the Bentley Mark VI that inspired the project, during a meeting of RREC, an international club of Rolls-Royce and Bentley enthusiasts.

The anniversary is of car production, not the building. The Pyms Lane plant was built in 1938 to assemble Rolls-Royce Merlin aeronautical engines and only started manufacturing cars in 1946, when the Mark VI became the first Bentley made in Crewe. The model, powered by a 4,257 cm³ six-cylinder B60, totaled 4,001 units until 1951, of which 3,171 with the standard steel body.

The Mark VI used in the comparison is not the first car from the factory. It is one of 241 four-door sedans built by the then independent H.J. Mulliner, delivered in January 1950 to British businessman William Lount and incorporated into the Heritage Collection, the brand’s historical collection, in 2021.

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For the bodywork, the designers dispensed with the current palette, of almost 100 paint options, and adopted the solid green Barnato Green with a roof in the shade Mulliner Black, the two-tone pattern of the honored car. The exterior combines the light trim of the Azure line with the carbon fiber trim package, 22″ ten-spoke wheels painted black with machined faces, black brake calipers and self-leveling center emblems.

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Interior recovers the atmosphere of the Mark VI

Inside, the coupe resumes the atmosphere of the old model with red Cricket Ball leather upholstery and secondary trim in Beluga, as well as contrasting stitching, embroidered Azure emblems and diamond capitone. The dashboard features darkened walnut root on a Grand Black background in piano black, divided by a chrome fillet that crosses the piece and goes through the doors. The sills have the contours of the Mark VI and the Continental GT and the inscription that celebrates the anniversary of the factory, with the dates of 1946 and 2026.

The swivel screen set allows you to switch between the touch monitor, analog dials or a wood-only panel. The equipment list includes front seats with comfort and wellness functions, air ionizer and Naim sound.

Mechanics follow the standard

The mechanics are the standard. The Continental GT Azure uses the plug-in hybrid system that combines the 4.0 V8 biturbo with an electric motor, with 680 hp and 94,8 kgfm combined. According to Bentley, the coupe accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3,7 seconds, reaches 270 km/h and runs up to 85 km on electricity alone.

The automaker says that the example remains as a single unit, made for the date, with no forecast of entering the order catalog. Controlled by the Volkswagen Group since 1998, Bentley employs more than 4,000 people in Crewe and intends to sell only electric models from 2035.