The way the ancient poet Hesiod tells it, Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, put it about a bit, ending up with no fewer than 50 daughters. One of them, Galene the Nereid, took it upon herself to be a soothing influence, the one who put a stop to all the quarrels that would inevitably happen when 50 sisters were forced to share a bathroom. Eventually, sailors started to pray to her and she became the goddess of a calm sea, the deity who would ensure smooth sailing and peaceful journeys across the oceans. And now, even better, she’s become the name of a breathtakingly gorgeous new limited-edition Continental GT convertible from Bentley; because it’s all well and good hanging out on Mount Olympus in a wafty robe, but it’s not nearly as fun as unleashing a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 powerplant on the open road.
Created by Bentley’s bespoke commissioning division Mulliner in collaboration with British yacht experts Princess Yachts, and inspired by luxury yachting (hence the watery sea nymph connection), the Bentley Continental GT Convertible Galene Edition by Mulliner is a sleek-lined beauty. The company’s press release is full of plenty of aquatic-based platitudes about how it “combines the best elements of an oceanic lifestyle with luxury convertible motoring”, the external design “captures the iridescent sparkle of crystal-clear waters”, “the Galene Edition is specified with lower brightware in Sequin Blue, a timeless detail and elegant reminder of the life aquatic”, and it’s “sexier than Ursula Andress emerging from the Caribbean Ocean dressed in a teeny weeny bikini”. OK, so I made that last bit up, but it’s true, the Galene is one sexy motorcar, slightly tenuous waterside connection or not.
The convertible is painted Glacier White, with striking 21” polished propeller wheels. The interior, meanwhile, features seats in Linen and Portland hides with Camel hand cross stitching, Linen, Portland and Brunel door panels, and a Linen, Brunel and Camel-accentuated dashboard, centre console and armrests, with Linen and Brunel steering wheel with a Camel 12 o’clock stripe. A lot of Linen, Brunel and Camel there for your buck.
Fascia panels, meanwhile, can be specified with a unique illustration of a super yacht by Spanish illustrator Jaume Vilardell alongside the Mulliner script in each car. There are only 30 of these babies in existence, so be quick if you want to sail away with a Bentley worthy of the high seas.