Bentley Motors honors JAS 949’s 70th birthday with a handcrafted and one-off Continental GT Azure. The unique car draws inspiration from by Bentley’s retained example of the iconic R-Type Continental. JAS 949 is one of only 208 examples of the R Type Continental ever built.
The R-Type Continental was the fastest four-seat luxury saloon in the world when launched in 1952. The vehicle’s power line from the front wheel, the rear haunch and the roofline were the inspiration for the first generation Continental GT in 2003 and every Continental GT since. Using Mulliner’s Personal Commissioning Guide, the new Continental GT Azure has been hand painted in Old English White and is fitted with bright chrome (including the matrix grille). While JAS 949 rides on 16” wheels, the newer version runs on 22” hand-finished wheels, in a black and polished finish as per the original.
Inside, Cricket Ball leather is combined with hand-applied piping in Beluga leather. The Burr Walnut veneer has been left as open pore, providing a closer texture to the patinated finish in JAS 949. Selected from only the very best, most figured stock available, open-pore veneer is painted with just three ultra-thin layers of lacquer, together totalling only 0.1 mm in thickness. The cross banding of the new Continental GT Azure uses Australian straight grain veneer with a boxwood inlay, enhanced with a Bentley Mulliner overlay in a rich gold. The finishing touches of the silhouette of the R-Type Continental have been added to the fascia veneer and interior treadplates to complete the cabin.
The new Continental GT Azure, just like all Bentley Azures, features the Front Seat Comfort Specification as standard. This includes a massage function with six programmable settings which promotes the constant micro-adjustments in muscle and posture that are so vital in preventing fatigue, adjustable side bolsters, electric seatbelt adjustment and comfort headrests. Bentley Dynamic Ride is Bentley’s 48V active anti-roll control system that boost ride comfort. The system cushions driver and passengers from excessive movement by electronically decoupling the anti-roll bars when appropriate to smooth the ride, then applying up to 1300 Nm of anti-roll torque in 0.3 seconds when cornering to keep the body flat and stable. The one-off also features as standard, the Touring Specification which includes driver assistance systems, imbuing the driver with a sense of confidence and relaxed control.
The new Continental GT Azure now joins Bentley’s UK press fleet, where it will be available for media loans along with the opportunity to drive JAS 949.
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