I admit that I’ve a soft spot for this car. Before I had a chance to drive cars like these I went for a trip round the local Bentley factory in Crewe and saw the first few Continental open tops roll off the production line on their way to owners around the world. The amount of work and craftsmanship put into each car was staggering and the resulting line of cars, sparkling in the immaculate factory left a big impression on me.

And so it was that when the GTC became available I made sure I was one of the first in the queue to have a drive in it. The car, when it arrived, was a stunning sky blue and I was immediately struck by the sheer size of the car. To give you some sort of perspective, the GTC’s 16” disc brakes are the same size as a Ford Mondeo’s wheels. Even the handbrake is servo assisted and makes a sound like something out of Robocop when it is engaged.

Inside, the car has the typical Bentley sense of being made out of granite and built to last. Some cars leave you feeling shortchanged but not the Bentley. The sumptuous leather and wood finish, chrome air vents and range of techno goodies leave you in no doubt you’re getting value for the not inconsiderable money you’ve stumped up. When you add a 552 bhp 6 litre engine, permanent four wheel drive, 195 mph max speed and 0-60 in 4.8 seconds the £130k 4 seater soft top might even look like a bit of a bargain.

Looking back to 1998 when Bentley was purchased by VW from Vickers the marque was in a bad way, with cars often little more than rebadged Rolls Royce’s with a tweaked up engine. Like Lamborghini, bought around the same time, VW, has triumphantly succeeded in maintaining the heritage and craftsmanship of this historic marque whilst bringing it bang up to date in terms of technical excellence and reliability. Expanding the range, it cleverly targeted the relatively empty marketing slot of £100k-£130k motors, just above the top Mercs but below the Ferrari’s of this world. The result has been an explosion in demand and the Crewe plant is now working at capacity with approximately 9500 cars being produced annually (compared with 414 in 1998).

The kids loved the car as it was easily big enough to take them on the school run in comfort and style. The sizeable boot (29 footballs) swallowed up any kit they had (though the auto closing feature did result in my fingers being squashed at the same time). With roof lowered they were kept warm by the efficient heater which automatically kicks up a notch as the roof comes down. The car drew just about the right amount of attention - nowhere near as much as one of those loud Italian lot - and you did feel you could park your car in town and still return to it later untouched.

On the road, the car is effortless and sure footed with plenty of power to accelerate when needed yet more than happy just to waft about the place when you’re not in the mood. What was surprising was how good it was on a twilight blast through tight B roads with fellow petrol head Rich. Despite its large size, the car was remarkably easy to place and the enormous brakes were always available just in case a tractor or an innocent member of the wildlife community was lurking around the corner.

That said, it can’t hide its bulk completely and is not exciting to drive in the way a Ferrari or Lotus is. You’re also unlikely to take it down to the local track day to blast it around the bends. But we all know that’s not the point of this car, despite its immense performance. This is a Grand Tourer, perfectly designed to cover large distances with ease, pace and comfort.

It’s this grand touring ability that makes me think that of all the cars I’ve driven so far the Bentley must have a good claim to be considered for the title ‘best all rounder’. It has the capacity to seat four in comfort, the room to accommodate their luggage plus offer top down driving in the summer and cosseted four wheel drive comfort in the winter. Indeed, the wife has not had a bad word to say against it. OK, so she’s not had too many good words to say either but it’s progress…

So would I have one if I had the money? Well, owning an iconic British sporting brand with a heritage dating back nearly 100 years does appeal but then we’re not here to talk about Aston Martin…yet.