Being invited to drive a Bentley Mulsanne is like being summoned to Buckingham Palace: it doesn't happen every day unless you're a chauffeur. The 2011 model was launched in Hong Kong last April and the first orders are just being delivered.
Now, those lucky owners are taking possession of a five-star luxury resort of a car that screams champagne and cigars. In fact, the Mulsanne's direct competitor is probably the only other motor as familiar within the palace gates - the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
It's a rivalry that begs the question: why have Bentley and Rolls-Royce in recent years been sold on car designs that wouldn't look out of place in front of a column of tanks? Both marques have opted for a more puggish front end and a box-like appearance that risks detracting from the gracefulness that is a hallmark of these fine breeds.
Most carmakers have made serious style inroads over the years as they streamline their designs, but what still sets 92-year-old Bentley apart is sheer class, accentuated by the Mulsanne's almost intimidating size, from that flattened visage, topped off with Bentley's trademark Flying-B at the end of the bonnet, and along 5.57 slender metres of elegant, straight shoulder line to the classic swept-down rear.
Everything about the range-topping Mulsanne is big: eye-popping 20-inch wheels; the main circular headlamps with LED halos in the four-lamp set-up; the broad crosshatch grille; and even the pan-sized foot pedals. The substantial doors feel armour-plated, but automatically snap shut with just a little push. Then there's that 6.75-litre, twin-turbocharged V-8 engine - but we'll come back to that.
There's no mistaking the craftsmanship that sets a Bentley apart from its conveyor belt contemporaries (it takes more than two months to build a Mulsanne). The marque's superiority shines through, and any exterior design quirk is easily forgiven.