Sufficiently SPECIAL

I’m listening to Jonathan Gould tell his story about the search that led him to this Arnage Red Label, and it reminds me there are some things that buying guides can’t tell you. Most important of those, and most basic – will I like this car?

It’s a tricky issue. Not many people find themselves behind the wheel of other people’s luxury super-saloons, especially for a long enough drive to form an opinion. Sometimes a short test drive at a dealership, next to a chatty salesman, is not enough. Though I remember making my mind up about a previously much-admired Maserati Quattroporte V in a few minutes – marvellous engine, shame about the rest. But back to the point…it’s quite possible to get as far as buying a car before you really find out whether it’s for you.

Jonathan had tried other Bentleys, including a 2004 Flying Spur, and he’d also experimented with a long-wheelbase AMG Mercedes S-class, which he says surprised him by being a better car than the Spur. But even