The Drophead Coupe's centre console featured upgraded climate control and heating, ventilation and air conditioning switchgear, while switches
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| The centre console is to feature upgraded climate control and heating, ventilation and air conditioning switchgear. (Photo: Bentley Motors) |
for the power windows were more intuitively arranged than in the previous Azure. Those hidden secondary controls spoken of in the previous paragraph would include actuators for the power seats, memory functions and seat heaters, to be located beneath a sliding panel behind the gear lever. The concealment process won't stop there, with Bentley's quest to simplify the cabin's appearance to incorporate sliding wood panels to hide the audio system interface, ancillary ventilation controls, and ashtray.
Specific to the Drophead Coupe concept is a completely unique rear seating area, interestingly inspired by the contemporary Peel chair created by Norwegian Olav Eldoy, a furniture designer who found his muse in the swirling curve of a slice of orange peel, and transformed his vision into a body-hugging seat. Bentley, which will most likely carry this design forward into the production Azure, exercised the same principals in engineering the new
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| Hopefully the Azure will feature something similar to the Drophead Coupe concept's completely unique rear seating area. (Photo: Bentley Motors) |
prototype's curving rear bench seat and centre-mounted armrest.
Creating a more intimate atmosphere, indirect lighting originating from behind the door armrests has been added. The look is immediately up-to-date, yet respectful of years of hand-made Bentley convertibles. "The S1 Drophead Coupe from 1955 had a wonderfully understated but luxurious interior," commented Robin Page, head of interior design, Bentley Motors, when the Drophead Coupe Concept was unveiled in Los Angeles. "For example, the doors had simple armrests with a leather pad on them and we have reflected that in this car's hide-trimmed armrests that run the length of the cabin sides and appear to be suspended away from the door's actual surface.
