Implausibly fast: inside the Bentley GT Speed

When the famously gloomy British winter starts to tighten its icy grip and spirits begin to wane, a tangible reminder that the sun will shine again always provides a fillip. And I find watching David Niven in the 1958 film Bonjour Tristesse usually does the trick. The movie version of Francoise Sagan’s famous novel about a young girl called Cecile who lives with her rakish father, Raymond – effortlessly played by Niven – is based around the family villa on the Côte d’Azur, from where Raymond cruises the corniche in a silver Bentley S1 Continental drophead while looking tanned, relaxed and unspeakably sophisticated.

Since 1952, when the first Continental was introduced, Bentley’s sporting grand tourers have more or less been regarded as the default choice of carriage for the discerning gentleman, successfully conjuring an image of romantic, long-distance drives between well-appointed homes in glamorous locations.

The name, after all, says everything. ‘Continental’ speaks of azure seas and dazzling sun, of hot nights and chirping cicadas – images which are only strengthened by the prefix ‘Bentley’.