2005 Bentley Continental GT
The policeman in his regulation Ford Crown Victoria could not have been more pleasant. Before I could say anything beyond “excuse me officer’ he very gently interrupted by saying “you are looking for the Ritz Carlton which is half a mile back. Turn left at the first set of traffic lights and you’ll be there in no time.”
He was right of course. Tea at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay sounded like a very nice way to start a road test, especially if the car happened to be a 160 thousand dollar 195 miles per hour Bentley Continental. If I had any doubts about its presence these were soon dispelled by John, the man in charge of all the valets. There was a long line of cars waiting to unload their passengers and luggage but a bit like the Red Sea, the road majestically opened as I was waved very firmly into pole position. “Welcome to the Ritz Carlton Sir , just leave the keys with us, we’ll take care of the car.” And they did just that. There is a huge car park about 100 yards down the road full of BMWs, Jaguars and other “lesser” makes but when we returned after a very nice cup of Earl Grey tea the Bentley was right there, by the door waiting to whisk us to Monterey a mere 95 miles down the road. When I say waiting it wasn’t a matter of telling someone to get the car, the Bentley was parked just yards from where we left it and in a way this sums it all up. “We know our cars” added one of the valets as he handed over the keys, “believe me, we’ve seen everything from Maybachs to Mazdas, but this one is special”.
After 300 miles in the-very comfortable driving seat- I realized what he was talking about. The Bentley is not just about money, it is also about taste. While it has presence it cannot, by any stretch of the imagination be called ostentatious. Imposing yes, I am rich, get out of my way aggressive it most certainly is not.
This is what W.O. Bentley had to say 83 years ago: “while it would offer great comfort and unquestioned luxury as it went about its daily business, so also it would possess a thinly veiled ability to turn into something special at any moment”. Precisely. The 552-bhp 6.0 liter W-12 engine does just that. Highway 1 along the Pacific Ocean is mostly double yellow lines with just the odd passing lane here and there. In the Bentley’s case that was all I needed. Without revving the living daylight out of the engine I simply pressed gently on the loud pedal and in contrast to the message often typed into wing mirrors about other cars maybe be nearer than they appear the opposite was true. Within seconds these were just little specs on the horizon. The car may weigh 5353 pounds but with a 0-60 figure in under 5 seconds passing was no more than a mere formality. Did I get anywhere near its top speed of just under 200 miles per hour? Certainly not. I did, however, get up to 120 miles per hour on a disused airfield. Even at that speed the Bentley was solid as a rock.
The policeman in his regulation Ford Crown Victoria could not have been more pleasant. Before I could say anything beyond “excuse me officer’ he very gently interrupted by saying “you are looking for the Ritz Carlton which is half a mile back. Turn left at the first set of traffic lights and you’ll be there in no time.”
He was right of course. Tea at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay sounded like a very nice way to start a road test, especially if the car happened to be a 160 thousand dollar 195 miles per hour Bentley Continental. If I had any doubts about its presence these were soon dispelled by John, the man in charge of all the valets. There was a long line of cars waiting to unload their passengers and luggage but a bit like the Red Sea, the road majestically opened as I was waved very firmly into pole position. “Welcome to the Ritz Carlton Sir , just leave the keys with us, we’ll take care of the car.” And they did just that. There is a huge car park about 100 yards down the road full of BMWs, Jaguars and other “lesser” makes but when we returned after a very nice cup of Earl Grey tea the Bentley was right there, by the door waiting to whisk us to Monterey a mere 95 miles down the road. When I say waiting it wasn’t a matter of telling someone to get the car, the Bentley was parked just yards from where we left it and in a way this sums it all up. “We know our cars” added one of the valets as he handed over the keys, “believe me, we’ve seen everything from Maybachs to Mazdas, but this one is special”.
After 300 miles in the-very comfortable driving seat- I realized what he was talking about. The Bentley is not just about money, it is also about taste. While it has presence it cannot, by any stretch of the imagination be called ostentatious. Imposing yes, I am rich, get out of my way aggressive it most certainly is not.
This is what W.O. Bentley had to say 83 years ago: “while it would offer great comfort and unquestioned luxury as it went about its daily business, so also it would possess a thinly veiled ability to turn into something special at any moment”. Precisely. The 552-bhp 6.0 liter W-12 engine does just that. Highway 1 along the Pacific Ocean is mostly double yellow lines with just the odd passing lane here and there. In the Bentley’s case that was all I needed. Without revving the living daylight out of the engine I simply pressed gently on the loud pedal and in contrast to the message often typed into wing mirrors about other cars maybe be nearer than they appear the opposite was true. Within seconds these were just little specs on the horizon. The car may weigh 5353 pounds but with a 0-60 figure in under 5 seconds passing was no more than a mere formality. Did I get anywhere near its top speed of just under 200 miles per hour? Certainly not. I did, however, get up to 120 miles per hour on a disused airfield. Even at that speed the Bentley was solid as a rock.
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