Cars don’t really come much more luxurious than a Bentley. And is there anything more decadent than wafting around in a convertible Bentley on a beautiful summer’s day? Probably not. It’s what life on the Riviera is all about, but what if you don’t live in the South of France? Does the Bentley Continental GT Convertible work in those slightly less glamorous places without gorgeous weather all the time?

The short answer is yes, it absolutely does, but the Continental GT Convertible also has some competition in the high-end drop-top arena, with cars like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet, Aston Martin DB11 Volante and Ferrari Portofino.

Exquisite interior and attention to detail

Whether you like the look of the Bentley from the outside (some may think it’s a bit too brash with that huge, bright grille), there’s no arguing with just how impressive the interior is. Pretty much everything you touch is crafted from beautiful materials with fantastic attention to detail. Soft leather in pretty much any colour you want is available, and covers just about every surface you can see.

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Other areas of note are the chunky indicator and wiper stalks that have real heft to them, and a solid-feeling gearlever on the raised centre console. There are a lot of buttons dotted about, but once you learn where it all is it’s easy to use.

You can thank Audi for that. The digital dials are a reskinned version of the German company’s Virtual Cockpit system, while steering wheel buttons are borrowed straight from Audi as well.

There’s not much else to give the game away, Bentley adding its luxurious and refined touch to pretty much every part of the car. Quality is the best in the business, and the fact you can have any colour combination you want makes it all the more special.

Incredibly rapid engines, but superb refinement

Two engines power the GT Convertible, and they’re both serious powerplants borrowed from the Continental GT Coupe. There’s a V8 to kick off the range with 550hp, while a howling 635hp W12 was the first model available when the car launched in 2018.

That means performance is more than a little rapid, offering earth-moving acceleration despite its considerable size and weight. It’s even pretty convincing as a sports car in the corners (to a degree), but what it does best is effortlessly waft around in peace and quiet. Few cars are as relaxing to drive. What’s even more impressive is that it’s a convertible, but offers very little compromise in terms of refinement just by having a fabric roof.

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Huge amount of personalisation

When you’re spending well into six figures on a new car, you’ll want to make it personal to you, and Continental GT Convertible buyers can do exactly that. Not only are there almost endless exterior colour and wheel combinations, there’s also what seems like limitless options when it comes to interior colour schemes with matching/contrasting stitching, different dash trims and the usual selection of optional extras.

In fact, there are 17 exterior colour choices (with an extended range of 70 more), 15 carpet choices, eight veneers for the dash and 15 leather choices. Finally, seven roof colours round off the personalisation.

But you can also add a City Specification pack with safety kit that’s useful around town, a Touring specification with things like adaptive cruise control and Mulliner Driving Specification which adds a sportier look and feel to the car.

But if that’s not enough, the car can be handed over to Mulliner for any personal bespoke features – it’s Bentley’s personal commissioning division to make it your own.

Read on for the full review of the Bentley Continental GT Convertible.