Category: Large Executive 
Price Range: £236,400 to £236,400
Captivating power delivery, exquisite and spacious interior, handles well.
Hugely expensive to buy and run, ride comfort merely adequate.
Probably the most characterful Bentley of the last half century. Better than we could have hoped.
There are few cars that can credibly claim to go down the road unlike any other in production. A G-Wiz is one, a Bugatti Veyron is another and this Brooklands is a third.
It's not actually that fast from one point to a next - indeed something like a Mitsubishi Evo with half the power would doubtless crucify it - but in the majesty of the progress it offers there lies something quite unforgettable. Anything that can accelerate 2.6 tonnes of metal, wood and leather to 60mph in five seconds flat is clearly pretty special, but it's not until you've heard the thunder of the engine, seen the prow rise and felt this stately home on wheels hurl itself down the road that you can fully appreciate the magic of this car. A Continental GT Speed is quicker, more powerful and half the price, but it cannot put a smile on your face like this. If you found the space it would eventually stop accelerating at around 184mph, which should be adequate for most of Bentley's customers.
The surprise, however, is that the Brooklands is just as charming in the corners as it is along the straights. Cars this heavy are simply not meant to handle this well: once you've become used to the elevated driving position, the engine's power delivery and the meaty steering, you notice next how easy it is to place on the road, how well it transfers its absurd power to the road and how little space it needs relative to its size, even when you're driving the rather attractive door handles off it.
The carbon brakes on the test car were tireless, despite the fact that few cars, if any, are capable of generating more pure momentum and, if you do overstep what are good but not other-worldly levels of grip made available by its specially built Pirelli tyres, either the electronics will step in a save you from yourself or, if you have the blood of the hooligan in your veins and have turned them all off, it will slide and drift with great ease and equanimity.
