#BentleyContinental

For those of typical means, ultra-luxury automakers like Bentley exist in a vacuum. We see an M3’s worth of options on a Flying Spur and scoff at something so preposterous, so alien to our understanding of a dollar’s value.

It’s true enough that the law of diminishing returns tends to really kick in when MSRPs soar into six-figure territory and beyond: Is a Bugatti Chiron 50 times better than a C8 Corvette? Probably not. But years ago, when I was handed the keys to my first Bentley press car, I approached the prospect with a similar mindset and came away a changed man.

One of the most exclusive convertibles in the world when it was new, the Bentley Azure was a Rare Ride even in the Nineties. But today’s example is a special pre-production model. It was sent off to Pininfarina as a new Continental R, while the Azure was only a dream in Bentley’s head.

Let’s take a closer look at this incredibly rare cabriolet.

If I’ve learned anything from Steph Willems, its that choosing the correct subject matter is half the battle in setting-up a solid Freaky Friday post. This one checks all the important boxes: young love, restraining orders, celebrity involvement, grand theft auto, gambling, expensive automobiles, and a curse-laden freakout ending in arrest.

Conrad Hilton, the 23-year-old brother of professional … uh, celebrity (I guess) … Paris Hilton, was charged with felony auto theft this week after allegedly stealing a Bentley Continental over the weekend. He was picked up by police in front of the Hollywood Hills home of his ex-girlfriend, Hunter Salomon, who had previously issued a restraining order against him.

The stolen Bentley belonged to Hunter’s father, Rick Salomon. If that name sounds familiar, he’s the man that won $2.8 million in the World Series of Poker in 2014, made a sex-tape with Paris in 2003, sued the Hilton family for deformation, and then began distributing the video himself a year later.