As people, we often refer to “the people” as the average. Sure, there are people with 42 supercars at home and people with none at all, but “the people,” as a collective, are the leased Toyota Corollas of the world. Thus, any normal person assumes the recipient of an award called the “People’s Car of the Year” would be on Corolla levels, or at least somewhere within that stratosphere.
But it’s not. Nope. Adorable of you to think so, though.
The “People’s Car of the Year” is actually the Bentley Continental GT, which, in its base form, costs around $200,000. The car got the award in October, but you’ll forgive us if our Rolodex of Bentley’s press awards isn’t up to date.
But Bentley included the award in its announcement about winning 26 “global accolades” last week, saying that the People’s Car of the Year title came during the News UK Motor Awards, which represents the Times, Sunday Times and the Sun. If you’re thinking, “What the hell, man, I’m one of the ‘people’ and I don’t even have enough cash for a Bentley-branded pen,” join the club!
Such are the woes of a society where the rich get richer and the rest of us stand here and wonder, “Is the Continental GT a car of the people? Is that where we’re at now? No, no it is not. It can’t be. I am the people, and that car costs as much as my house.” Perhaps if we rethought how this economy of ours works, the actual people wouldn’t be subject to predatory lending cycles on actual average cars while the Continental GT is crowned the “People’s Car of the Year.” If only someone had critiqued this system earlier in history.
But that’s not happening, and the definition of “the people” is apparently all relative, since, according to noted Sun columnist Jeremy Clarkson, the people who live around him have helicopters. Land travel is for peasants, you see, making the Continental GT a car of the people—no, sorry, the car of the people.
Here’s what Clarkson said on the topic, via the Sunday Times:
Recognising that calling the £148,800 Bentley Continental GT V8 a “people’s car” might be thought of as a bit of a stretch, and receiving a few laughs from the audience, Clarkson quipped:
“Number one, Bentley is owned by Volkswagen, and as we know, Volkswagen means ‘people’s car’. Second reason is, around where I live, there are people and they all have helicopters. So it is a people’s car. I’m always slightly amazed when I review a car and look at how much it costs … [it’s amazing] how little the Bentley costs compared to how much I was expecting it to be. They’re always much cheaper than you think they’re going to be, particularly when you sit inside and they are exceptionally good. [...]”
Clarkson also said the Continental GT is a “wonderful, wonderful car,” and that he wants one.
Surely, he can afford one, unlike the actual people.