Bentley Continental GTC

The Continental GTC is the open-top version of the car that reinvented Bentley as something you could drive every day. It is built by hand in Crewe and trimmed in diamond-quilted leather, with the rotating dashboard display that hides the screens behind veneer when you want them gone. The convertible adds the one thing the coupe cannot, which is the chance to lower the roof and let the climate become part of the drive.

The character here is grand tourer first. A 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8 makes 542 horsepower and 770 Nm, good for 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds and a 318 km/h top speed, all sent through an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox and all-wheel drive. It is quick enough to entertain and composed enough to drive for hours. Heated and cooled seats and a neck warmer mean you can run the roof down well after sunset.

Dubai suits it perfectly. The best of this car happens with the top folded along Palm Jumeirah or the Marina at the end of the day, when the heat eases and the light goes gold. The air suspension keeps it settled through Business Bay traffic, then it stretches its legs on the cruise out past Al Qudra in the early morning before anyone else is awake. It draws attention by being beautiful rather than by being loud.

Renting it makes sense when you want the Bentley for a week, a wedding or a long weekend instead of a long-term commitment. You skip the insurance, the depreciation and the service bills that come with keeping a car like this in the city. We deliver it to your door or hotel, full of fuel and detailed, with insurance and delivery already included in the rate you saw.