Why the history lesson? If you had just spent a week at this latest North American International Auto Show in Detroit you might have been forced to contemplate the eerie coincidence that played out. More ultra-luxury models were introduced this year than any time since the era that preceded the great depression, with new models from Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Maybach on hand, all costing more than a nice home in the suburbs, and each far from the grasp of mere mortal have-nots.
While I'm all for expanding wealth, it's the amassing of it by an albeit larger group of the still relatively few that mirrors the pre-depression days, compared to the vast majority of 'middle' income earning North American's that for all intents and purposes can't seem to afford to buy a regular Chevy, Chrysler or Ford without a 0% incentive for persuasion purposes - i.e. they don't really have the money but can't pass up a good deal.
All eeriness aside, I still fall under the delusion that someday, miraculously I'll become fabulously rich and able to afford one of these chariots of gold. And if it were my money, or someone else's that just happened to be foolish enough to invest in my company, I'd be pulled in by the sultry lines and self indulgent power of this new Cadillac.
What makes it so intriguing? First and foremost, the Sixteen has a grace that only the Bentley Continental GT, of the four previously mentioned, can match. While elegant, it's long, lean lines give it an illusion of sporting pretenses, a youthful vigor not associated with the other marques, Bentley aside.