Bentley Azure 1995 News

A Bentley once owned by the late disgraced stockbroker Rene Rivkin — and now by a former Gold Coast vice king — could be sold for as little as 1c under a radical new auction system.The Azure convertible was part of Rivkin's luxury car collection auctioned off as part of a fire sale before his suicide in 2005.It was snapped up for $281,000 by former Fitzgerald Inquiry figure Ron “The Pom” Kingsnorth, who in the 1980s owned one of the Gold Coast's most notorious brothels, the Geisha Bathhouse.British-born Mr Kingsnorth, once an associate of infamous London gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray, says he is “a bad boy who's gone straight” and is now out of the vice trade.Now in his 70s, he has married “a nice young Ukrainian wife,” Olga, and is involved in property development.He said he had decided to get into the “reverse auction” business as a sideline, and to raise money for charity.Unlike traditional auctions where the highest bid wins, goods sold at reverse auction are knocked down to the lowest unique bidder — the person with the lowest bid no one else has chosen.Last year, a $350,000 Broadbeach high-rise unit was sold at reverse auction for $62.92.Promoters make their money by charging a bid fee — in the case of the Bentley, $9 (or three bids for $20).The maroon convertible — which cost more than $700,000 when new and can go from 0-100km/h in six seconds — will be auctioned online for between 1 and $6000, to whoever makes the lowest unique bid.But if the auction is a success, Mr Kingsnorth stands to make hundreds of thousands of dollars.Mr Kingsnorth said he was abused as a child in East London and was donating part of the auction proceeds to the Abused Child Trust.He said that if the auction works, he plans to sell luxury homes and boats using the same method. People can bid for the Bentley online. 

The company first hinted of a new Azure when it unveiled the Arnage Drophead Coupe at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year.It stimulated such interest that Bentley decided to resurrect the Azure name.Like its predecessor, which was in production from 1995 to 2002, the new Azure becomes the flagship of the Bentley model range.The four-seater is powered by a 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine producing 336kW of power and 875Nm of torque, mated to a four-speed automatic.It will accelerate to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds and has a maximum speed of 270km/h.The cabin and rear section of the car are newly designed, with a bespoke interior to the buyer's tastes, including a choice of wood trim and 21 leather upholstery colours.The three-layer fabric folding roof has a heated rear glass screen and is operated hydraulically at the touch of a switch, closing or opening in less than 30 seconds.The roof fits under the tonneau panel which also incorporates pop-up, roll-over protection bolsters.The Azure features lightweight carbon-fibre under-floor cross-braces to bolster body stiffness and sits on 12-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels with fat 255mm 45 Pirelli P-Zero rubber.The huge — 5.4m — car has a 3116mm wheelbase and 1610mm track.Bentley spokesman James Barclay said the Azure would arrive in Australia at the beginning of 2007."In terms of volume it is too early to predict but will obviously be very exclusive," he said."Around 1300 of the previous model Azures were sold between 1995 and 2002 worldwide."An interesting fact that puts that number into perspective is that it takes approximately 680 man-hours to build the new Azure."

At midday on Tuesday 7 February it will lead the $6 million Motor Show Cavalcade down Swanston Street to Federation Square. After taking part in the 10-car display until 2.00 pm, it will be taken to the Motor Show in time for the public opening at 5.00 pm on Thursday 9 February. The luxurious four-seater Azure, which goes on sale later this year, is the production version of the Arnage Drophead Coupe show car which was first unveiled at the Los Angeles Motorshow in January 2005. In true Bentley fashion, it blends the most traditional of craftsmanship with the most modern of engineering to deliver a car which is much more than it seems. The Azure shares its face and driveline with the Arnage, and seats four adults in an opulent cabin beneath a fabric folding roof that can be lowered in 30 seconds. Its double-wishbone suspension and general body structure are adopted from the Arnage, along with its twin-turbocharged V8 engine which develops 336 kW of power and a massive 875 Nm of torque. Where the Azure differs from the show car is in having lightweight carbon fibre, under-floor cross braces for exceptional body stiffness that enhances refinement, ride and handling. In addition, the chrome trimmed bumpers and sills of the show car are now painted in body colour with a delicate chrome trim that runs the length of the car, enhancing the flowing lines of the Azure body.