Bentley Continental GTC: The Price of Happiness

Bentley Continental GTC: The Price of Happiness
Price as tested: $206,495 (including $3,700 Gas Guzzler Tax)

The Bentley Continental GTC (“C” for “convertible”) is one of the most beautiful cars in modern motoring. Top up or top down, it grabs your attention and won’t let go. Its exterior looks as if it were carved from a single block of glistening steel. Its interior cossets you in virtual silence, and swaddles you in fine hides, deep carpets, and rich veneers. And its performance and handling will knock your cashmere socks off.

Most cars this luxurious don’t bring much to the party when it comes to ultimate performance. I could name a couple that while sumptuous and fast fall irritatingly short in the steering and stopping departments. And then there are the “ultimate performance” rides – great on smooth pavement when there’s plenty of room to run, but tiresome in regular traffic over our crumbling infrastructure. For a price, the Continental GTC offers the best of both worlds.

Still, you must ask yourself: do you really need a convertible with a 6.0 liter, 552 horsepower, 479 lb-ft of torque, twin-turbocharged 12-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive, capable of doing zero to 60 in 4.8 seconds? What about 19-inch wheels and an air suspension system that monitors and adjusts ride height and vibration damping based on road conditions? Or spectacular brakes (the GTC weighs 5,500 pounds) in case you’ve inched toward that 195 mph top speed (only 190 mph with the top down)? If I were you, I’d settle for nothing less.

And what about exclusivity? True, the GTC is one of the “budget” Bentleys – built on parent VW’s German underpinnings. But unless you live in Monte Carlo, nobody will know of your relative poverty. And if it’s a choice between the GTC and college tuition, why deprive your children of the chance to make it on their own?

That said, I do have my nitpicks. The trunk is huge, but the back seat is horrible. The cabin lacks cubby space, the audio system is unremarkable, and unless you've brought a co-pilot, you'll never reach the glove-box mounted CD changer. And then there’s all that circling around in parking lots to find a spot where nobody will touch your baby….