Guilty Pleasure

How can a sports can enthusiast love a 5,000 lb luxury car? Here's how. Make it live large but drive small. Start with an All Wheel Drive chassis that is smart enough and strong enough to manage a revolutionary, compact W-12 twin turbocharged engine making a staggering 600 hp. Let the wind yield a gorgeous, organic shape and wrap every surface of the interior in Connelly leather, Wilton wool carpet, burl wood (or pretty much any wood you care to select) and an air of opulence not found in any other brand. The Bentley Continental, in either its two-door GT or four-door Flying Spur configuration simply defies the laws of physics. It's not that it gets to 60 in well under five seconds or has a top speed approaching 200 mph. It's the smooth, seamless, turbine-like manner in which this takes place. The steering, cornering, braking and overall handling limits are amazingly high, but even more astounding when combined with what is possibly the most comfortable ride you can buy anywhere. Bentley has sold over 7,000 of these marvels (at prices ranging from $180-$230k) since its introduction. This is one car I never get tired of spotting.