While I was learning about the world of luxury at the Luxury Summit, John Neff from Autoblog was driving it. Last week he had the experience of driving a 2009 Bentley Brooklands 550 miles to from New Jersey to Cleveland, Ohio where it would be picked up and driven back to Bentley's North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, MI. He had the honor of taking the car for its maiden voyage on U.S. soil. Talk about a road trip.

The car is one of only 550 that will ever be built, there are just two in the United States right now. Our man was cool and collected behind the wheel of a car that costs close to $400,000 with options. His post on Autoblog breaks down all the important details but it's the road trip stories I like such as the fact that a man in a Dodge Caravan followed him for 15 miles into a rest stop and that every tollbooth operator on his journey remarked on the car. If you are paying that much for your wheels, you likely want just that sort of attention. Oh, and be warned, the gas consumption is pricey too, filling the 25-gallon fuel tank with 20 gallons of 93-octane premium gas cost $75, and this is not a car known for its high mileage.

Many people have seen the coverage of Paris Hilton running her Bentley Continental GT into things and getting tickets; that poor car has been through alot lately. That's the tragedy of youth, wealth, and powerful cars. But, I think we should stand together and ban Paris from the new Bentley Coupe, Brooklands. It would be a travesty to see her ungraciously exit this fine vehicle and have paparazzi crawling on it. Hopefully, its staid styling and land yacht status would keep her away. We can hope. Autoblog was on hand in Geneva for the debut.