Elegant, but burly like a bare-knuckle brawler, Bentley’s new Continental GT Cabriolet is both slick and rugged.
CONVERTIBLES don’t often do it for me. They’re heavy, because the chassis needs to be reinforced due to the absence of a hard roof, and the styling also suffers, because the roof it does have needs to fold away somewhere.
I understand the joy of driving alfresco, as the sounds, smells and fresh air are all sensations that make motoring infinitely more bearable. However, in England, these sensations don’t outweigh the inevitable pneumonia you’ll receive on the 360 days of the year when it rains.
However, I’m not in England and the 2019 Bentley Continental GT Cabriolet (GTC) isn’t a normal convertible. You fell into my trap, reader. You fell right in.
When I first see the GTC, at a drinks reception in the Marbella Club, the car is lurking by the pool. The child in me—inside all motoring journalists—is almost begging for a Keith Moon type to hop in and send it into the deep end. However, this is 2019 and there are rules about that kind of thing.
It looks good. It’s Bentley to its core, full of elegance and an effortless chivalry, but it’s muscular, too, like an East End bare-knuckle brawler who takes his grandmother to church and back every Sunday. It’s Daniel Craig in Casino Royale—it’ll smash your head through a bathroom sink if you’re rude to a waiter, but it’ll do it while wearing black tie.
Denne historien er fra February 27, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra February 27, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
