Why the Bentley Continental GT Convertible is the Best New Car for Highway 1
I’ve scoured my cranial cavity, and still, I can’t think of a better new car to drive up California’s Highway 1. The 2016 Bentley Continental GT is pretty much perfect for driving the most scenic stretch of coastal road in California. I recently discovered this during a trip up “the 1” from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Indeed, this isn’t fastest path between L.A. and S.F., but as beautiful as this route is, the concept of travel time gives way to time travel.
Still, I didn’t need to be delighted by the Sun’s glow along Highway 1 to redefine my relationship with time. Anywhere you drive the Bentley Continental GT convertible, you’re enjoying yourself. I even loved driving this car in traffic. When the GT’s 582-horsepower W12 is sending a mere 5.82 horsepower to all four wheels, you’re still entertained by the car’s opulence.
Whether you’re held up at a red light or flying at cruising altitude, you can caress any swath of top-notch dead cow inside this car’s interior, and it’ll caress you back. This is one of the few cars you can buy right now that’s physically attracted to you.
Thus, you needn’t bring a lover with you whenever you drive this car. My ménage à trois up the coast consisted of this $274,790 W12-powered bank vault, the scenery, and me. Any excitement derived from a companion may have rendered me unfit to operate a motor vehicle. When you take a car like this up the coast, the spectacle of nature and machine colliding for your pleasure is mesmerizing. There’s nothing like driving a fantastic automobile amid breath-arresting surroundings.
This particular 2016 Bentley Continental GT Convertible looks just like it drives. If you can imagine a dream where smiling angels are storming the shores of your mind, that’s the experience of driving this. With its “Arctica” white paint reflecting the natural light that abounds along California’s Central Coast, this car looks like an angelic being lounging in heaven’s VIP lounge. I’m not saying this thing’s perfect. The GT becomes a fallen angel when you’re dealing with its infotainment. Bentley is using tech that’s a step behind the best the Volkswagen Group offers. If this thing were to use Audi’s leading-edge tech, it would be microscopically close to perfection. As of right now, though, the GT isn’t far away from perfect at all. This is a sound choice for a high-priced daily driver, and, again, is the best new car to drive up Highway 1.
I know, I know. You’re thinking: “He must be joking. This Bentley can’t be the best car for a trip up Route 1. Has he ever heard of the Porsche 918 Spyder or the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse?” Surely I have, and I’ve driven the latter, but those cars are too sporty for this road. The W12-powered Bentley Continental GT Convertible is a luxury car that can act sporty when you need it to, but its core mission is luxury. Because of that, this car is adept at making you smile even while driving slow. If you do drive this car fast, it feels like a very serious affair; like you’re conducting a groundbreaking scientific experiment that could benefit all of humanity … or end it. Compare that with driving a hypercar quickly, which is beyond the idea of serious. Driving a hypercar on the edge of physics places you in a realm too abstruse for words, but to put it simply, driving a hypercar like your getaway car puts your mind in a fun place. If you drive a hypercar like that 100-year-old you watched on The Today Show this morning, you feel like you’re missing out on that fun. Route 1, especially between San Luis Obispo and Carmel, would be achingly slow in a McLaren or Ferrari, but in the Bentley Continental GT Convertible, slow driving gives you more time to appreciate the juxtaposition of the car’s majesty paired with the majesty of California’s coastline.
A significant stretch of my drive up the 1 found me caught behind a Dodge Caravan that appeared to be equipped with a 25-mph governor. The minivan was vacuum-packed with a family of tourists overwhelmed by the scenery. Apparently the incomprehensible beauty rendered the driver blind, too, for he was oblivious to the numerous turnouts along the route. I’d estimate I was caught behind this tortoise for a good 40 miles, but that didn’t dampen my trip. Along Highway 1 with a Continental GT, impatience is impossible. Frustration cannot exist when at every curve of the road you’re getting punched in the face with waves of euphoria.
This Bentley made some head-turning onlookers euphoric, too. At gas stations people would approach me to compliment the car. I’d strike up conversations with them. I even made a few friends along the way. Design-wise, the Continental GT isn’t all that flashy, but even those who know nothing about cars can still sense it’s special. The force is strong with this one.
Once you get into San Francisco, however, the head-turning ceases. The rain that fell throughout much of my journey polluted the “Arctica”, but not enough to make the car invisible. Meguiar’s even sent me a box of cleaning supplies to go along with this drive, so that the Bentley could remain show-car shiny, but the relentless rain meant I couldn’t clean up. Dirty car or surgically spotless, you realize the city by the bay is not a place where car-lovers dwell. This was especially evident during my “victory lap” down the world-famous squiggles of Lombard Street. I was hoping I’d get some gawkers as I steered this iconic machine down an iconic road. Nope. Everyone was too consumed with their selfie sticks. Never mind them. Weeks after returning the Bentley to the press fleet, I remain consumed with the satisfaction that my first time driving the most scenic stretch of road in California was done with the best new car for the job; the Bentley Continental GT Convertible.
What do you think is the best car to drive up Highway 1? Chime in on the forum. >>
