The active all-wheel drive can also send up to 83% of the torque to the rear wheels, giving the GTC a rear-biased feel. And all this twisting force is distributed by an 8-speed dual clutch transmission. I always find Bentley-fettled gearboxes interesting – they’re brilliantly discreet when you want them to be, but never quite crisp enough when you fancy making up time. Finding the correct balance between fast and refined can be tricky, and a little more snap from the ZF would be appreciated when calling for a lower gear.

Now, there is a weight advantage to be had from ticking the V8 checkbox at the dealership, but then going drop-top also adds 170kg of strengthening back in to the overall weight, so what you’re left with is a ‘sporty’ GT car that actually weighs 2,335kg at the kerb. You won’t be shocked to discover that dynamically it doesn’t have a patch on an Aston Martin DBS, but then it’s also more comfortable and a much lovelier place to be – more on that shortly. Having said that, this is still a remarkably nimble car when you consider the mass it carries around, and being able to cycle through Comfort, Bentley, Sport and Individual driving modes gives you the freedom to decide which flavour of GTC you want at any given time. Naturally, there’s some roll in the chassis and needless to say, it’s less rigid than the coupé so you feel it flex and shimmy, particularly when you come across a sudden pothole. That aside, configure it in to Sport mode and it will make easy work of a country road, and because the engine is positioned closer to the driver than it was in the old model, it turns in with a keenness that the previous-gen car could only dream of. Active anti-roll bars all-round, an aluminium double-wishbone suspension set up for the front axle, and a multi-link design for the rear, all make for an exuberant but well-mannered B-road companion. Throw in Bentley’s three-chamber air suspension and what you get is a ride with a level of suppleness that’s hard to find elsewhere. As the kids would put it, “it’s got comfort for days.”

Naturally, Bentley’s fanatical approach to luxury motoring also extends to the interior. Apart from some Audi switchgear on the steering wheel, the Continental GTC has a beautifully appointed cabin. The colour of the Beluga leather has a richness to it, a deeper black that hits differently to the dark finishes found elsewhere. Of course, Bentley allow you to spec colours and materials any way you please, and my test car came with piano black and carbon fibre trim, and contrast green stitching which complimented the exterior paintwork beautifully. Many of the instruments were made from aluminium, and some of the main touch points we’re finished with the classic Bentley knurling. Everything you operate within the car has a satisfying weight to it which reminds you that you’re interacting with a quality item, and this attention to detail is what sets Bentley apart from other premium manufacturers. The cabin’s piece de résistance is the rotating dash which has interior trim on one side, the infotainment screen on another, and three exquisitely crafted clockfaces on the final rotation.