The four-seater soft-top First Edition is priced around $550,000

There’s never been a convertible that I haven’t liked: from the classic MGB, to the Rolls-Royce Dawn and even the much-maligned Range Rover Evoque soft-top. And I’m not a fair-weather driver either; as I say when it’s raining if you drive fast enough with the roof off, you won’t get wet.

When Bentley New Zealand announced the arrival of the Continental GT convertible, not only was I excited to drive it, but also see how it compared with the coupe version.

Priced from $395,000, Bentley NZ expects most of the cars will be sold for “around the $420,000 to $450,000 mark and very few will be around $550,000”.

That half a million-dollar price tag ($546,165 to be exact) is for the First Edition model that has more than $100,000 in add ons. The First Edition models get such features as the Bentley rotating display (aka the Toblerone).

The ‘Toblerone’ lets you hide the 12.3in display screen behind either a piece of veneer or a collection of analogue clocks; a compass, temperature gauge and stopwatch.

Bentley NZ also added the $18,576 Naim sound system to the GT convertible (GTC) for good measure, there is nothing quite like driving with the roof off and a pounding sound system. Just remember to turn it down when you reach 50km/h zones and don’t sing along at traffic lights (I’m talking from experience here).

AutoMuse tested the First Edition with the white exterior, and the striking cricket ball-red interior. I loved that colour, though it was polarising.

Under the bonnet is the same engine as the GT coupe: the stonking 6-litre, W12 (nope, that’s not a typo, it’s 12-cylinders arranged in a ‘W’ formation rather than V for V12).

That petrol engine produces 467kW of power and 900Nm of torque. It also sees the luxury car go from 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds and gives it a top speed of 333km/h.

It has a fuel “efficiency” figures of combined 12.3l/100km. But if you’re paying half a million on a car, you won’t be cruising around trying to find the service station with the lowest price for petrol.

Like the coupe, the GTC is 4850mm long, 1964mm wide but 1399mm high, compared with 1405mm. It’s also heavier than the coupe at 2414kg (that’s an additional 170kg).

The interior carries on from the coupe too, with the same VW Group instrument cluster plus a great head up display.

Again, like the coupe, it’s a four-seater but you’d have to make sure your rear passengers are short. If you take the roof off and don’t put the windbreak up (that sits behind the front seats), then you’ll have wind-swept rear passengers.

The boot remains the same size - roof up or down – at 358 litres.

So which would you rather own? The Bentley Continental GT coupe or the GT convertible?

At AutoMuse we had a special opportunity to ponder this all-important question. As probably one of the only motoring sites in the world, we had a GT coupe available. It’s AutoMuse’s Matt Chapman’s 2019 First Edition model.

As you can see from the photos, the two vehicles are very different when it comes to looks. But what does Matt think?

The GTC’s roof folds back against the car’s body, thanks to a new closing mechanism, instead of inside the boot space. But compared with the coupe’s rear it feels too abrupt with the lines of the roof too jarring on the white exterior.

But what is it like to drive?

For a heavy car, there’s no heaving or lurching, and it handled some challenging tight country roads deftly as directions changed dramatically. It certainly belied its gran tourer (GT) badge and it handled the ebb and flow of the roads, and a few 45-degree turns without fuss and more like a sports car.

The all-wheel-drive adds security in tight manoeuvres while the eight-speed, double-clutch gearbox is smooth and quick shifting. This definitely came to  the fore when overtaking.

There are four different drive modes: comfort, sport, Bentley and custom. Dialling in sport mode, the gears were held longer giving you that extra confidence of having the ability to overtake with plenty left under the bonnet.

The W12 was a joy to drive and the reality is, Bentley probably won’t be producing many bigger engine vehicles due to EU regulations. So, get in there and enjoy it while you can!