Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XIX

2 4 9 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Atlantic Road The zigzagging exquisiteness of the Trollstigen, I thought, was as good as it would get for the bespoke luxury Norwegian experience. I reckoned I’d seen the best. As we neared the ocean, I was in for a twisting surprise: the Atlantic Road. The Atlantic Road, though only 8.3 kilometres long, is widely considered one of the finest driving roads in the world. It’s not themost technical nor does it lend itself to particularly high speed. Instead, its sheer grandeur comes from its arching and contorting bridges, which, from afar, seem to twist off into the sky and stretch over the sparkling blue water of the north Atlantic. Cresting thesemanmade inclines, I felt an undying appreciation for the Continental GT. That road, that place, put the 2016 Continental GT into perspective for me. Riding on a cloud of bespoke luxury and immense power, I realised the Atlantic Road perfectly captured the momentousness of the Continental GT, specifically the W12 model. The car, like the road, wasn’t the newest or fastest. In spite of that, though, it was breathtaking and easily reached the top of the heap, held in high regard by everyone who experienced it. The Bentley Continental GT, like the Atlantic Road, has an X-factor, a je ne sais quoi, that when compared against anything else tells your brain that, “yes, this one is the best.” It’s hard to describe…but it’s palpable once in its presence. I could pick it apart and tell you that the engine or the leather or the limitless amount of bespoke options offered on the Continental GTmake it the best, but none does; it’s the whole package. Arching over the glistening Atlantic on that sunny June day, I found the spirit the Bentley boys have been trying to share with the world since 1919. And it’s something that will stay with me for a lifetime. The 2016 Bentley Continental GT model range is on sale now.