The Bentley Continental GT Convertible is the Best New Car to Drive Up Highway 1

By Manuel Carrillo III - January 14, 2016

I can’t think of a better new car to drive up California’s Highway 1. The 2016 Bentley Continental GT is damn-near perfect for what’s arguably the most scenic stretch of road in California. I recently discovered this on a trip up “the 1” from Los Angeles to San Francisco. This is by no way the fastest route to S.F. from L.A., but as beautiful as it is, travel time has no relevance.

Even so, I didn’t need to be dazzled by the Sun’s glow along Highway 1 to experience time’s irrelevance. Anywhere you drive the Conti convertible, you’re enjoying yourself. I even enjoyed driving this car in traffic. When the GT’s 582-horsepower W12 is sending only 5.82 horsepower to all four wheels, you’re still entertained by how opulent it is.

Whether you’re stuck at a red light or flying the “B” at cruising altitude, you can caress any square inch 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 today that’s physically attracted to you.

Because of that, you don’t really need to 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. There was no need for a fourth party in this scenario. 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 heavenly. There’s really nothing like driving a fantastic automobile amid fantastic surroundings.

This particular 2016 Bentley Continental GT Convertible looks just like it drives. If you can imagine a dream where angels are invading your mind with smiles, 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. I’m not saying this thing’s perfect. The GT becomes a bit of a fallen angel when you’re dealing with its infotainment that’s clearly a step behind the best the Volkswagen Group offers. If this thing used Audi’s leading-edge tech, it would be microscopically close to perfection. As it is right now, though, this car isn’t far away from perfect at all. This is a solid choice for a high-priced daily driver, and, again, is the best new car to drive up Highway 1.

I know what you’re thinking: “Surely he must be joking. This Bentley can’t be the best car for a trip up Route 1. Has he never 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 very good at making you happy even while driving slow. If you do drive this car fast, it feels like a very serious and formal 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 ideas of serious and formal. Driving a hypercar on the edge of physics places you in a realm too abstruse for words, but to boil that realm down a bit, driving a hypercar like you stole it puts your mind in a fun place. If you drive a hypercar slowly, you feel like you’re missing out on that fun. Route 1, especially between San Luis Obispo and Carmel, would be painfully slow in a Ferrari or McLaren, 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 portion 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 it wasn’t enough to dampen my trip. Along Highway 1 with a Continental GT, impatience is impossible. Frustration does not exist when at every curve of the road you’re getting smacked upside the head with waves of euphoria.

This Bentley made some head-turning onlookers euphoric, too. At gas stations I’d get people approaching 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 particularly flashy, but even those who know nothing about cars can still sense it’s special.

Once you get into San Francisco, however, the head-turning stops. 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 squiggly portion of Lombard Street. I was hoping I’d get some gawkers as I steered this iconic car 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 what’s arguably the most scenic stretch of road in California, was done with the best new car for the job; the Bentley Continental GT Convertible.