There can be few finer automotive experiences than piloting a twelve-cylinder Bentley convertible along the coast with the top down and the sun on high. That this is the new Continental GTC with scenery provided by Croatia makes it all the more special.

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Our day begins with a map of Istria – truffle country and Europe’s own ‘Bermuda Triangle’. We’re jokingly advised not to get lost but to make use of the touchscreen infotainment system’s navigation function instead. It’s brilliant, combining a 30GB hard drive and a DVD player for beautiful, Google Maps-enriched imagery. Sure the VW Group bits are evident, but console yourself that without them, there’d likely be no Bentley at all.

The GTC gets the hardtop GT’s ‘flying wings’ dashboard architecture and all-new instrument pack. Slimmer seats with integrated headrests can also be had with an optional massage, ventilation and neck warming airflow system. The latter must work a treat in winter, because it had me hot under the collar in no time. Granted, it was 25deg C by then and the car we’d been assigned was swathed in more than 10 hides in Hotspur red. Personally, I’d have chosen any one of the other 16 standard soft-touch leathers or six colour split combos instead. Tellingly though, my Middle East based co-driver was only too pleased. Equally inescapable is the sense of hand-crafted, sumptuous wealth created by our car’s dark-stain burr walnut veneer, cold-to-the-touch metal details and thick cut-pile carpeting.

Foot firmly on the characteristic oval brake pedal, I press the start button, tug the knurled shifter into D and ease away from the hotel under the watchful eye of Bentley’s minders. The launch cars we’re driving all wear the optional 21-inch wheels and 275/35 ZR rubber. I’m keen to test the ride quality, but damn, these Istrian roads are good. It’s probably better to concentrate on the steering, which though not supercar quick, feels sharper and more responsive on turn-in than the last Continental I drove.

We’re up to speed now, flowing through a series of twists when the first real braking test appears in the shape of an errant tractor. I’m onto the stoppers in a flash. My first thought is I’d like more initial bite as I’m caught out by how hard I have to push to get the reaction I’m expecting. Once acclimatised though, actual stopping power is immense. At 405mm up front, 335mm behind, the brake discs are enormous, but then they need to be. This is a hefty car, with a fair portion of its 2.5-tonne mass ahead of the front axle. Take that all in and you appreciate the task required of the front suspension. A car this heavy and this powerful would be forgiven for mimicking a dolphin when driven fast and braked hard. Instead the air suspension’s continuous damper adjustment copes admirably. In turn, the new GTC’s super-rigid bodyshell, stiffer aluminium front uprights and wider tracks sharpen its reflexes, offering more grip and cornering poise. It’s the stiffest 2+2 convertible around, claims Bentley, and while I don’t have the means to scientifically prove that, the GTC is no cellulite-shaker and feels predominantly shimmy-free.