It’s a while since I got near the local Bentley dealers, and it’s not really that nice now.
They’re really pushing the horrible Bentayga, with the forecourt filled with these hulks, while all the elegant models have almost been shoved out of sight.
That said, it’s usually worth looking around the back too, where cars are parked for service, where I spotted this grey 2015 Mulsanne V8, behind NTS 1.
Unfortunately, I was shooting through a gap between (ordinary) cars parked in the street, and could get a line on the plate fitted to the GTC.
Bonus BMW 2 WR
What better to go with a ‘1’ than a ‘2’?
I actually collected this one earlier, at the nearby BMW dealer, but didn’t know if the pic would be any good.
I’d just got off the bus, and when I spotted this one grabbed a quick shot in passing, only to find I couldn’t see anything when I looked through the viewfinder – seems we’ve reached that irritating time of year when there’s so much rain, and the outdoor temperature and RH causes lens condensation, both inside AND outside the camera, and the lenses.
Fortunately, it was light, and burned off quickly.
But, it looks as if it’s time to dig out the USB powered lens heaters I bought last year.
This time, we’ve got 2 WR on a grey 2023 BMW X3 3 litre diesel-electric.
It’s almost a shame that none of the McLarens standing in that dealer’forecourt, sandwiched between this pair, sported anything other than standard new registrations.
It’s amazing what can be done with some filters to recover otherwise ‘lost’ shots like this one.
The only problem is knowing where to draw the line in applying them.
In this case, improving the centre of the image meant losing detail around the edges, and far too much contrast on the right, which is just about correct.
I’ve held back from practising applying masks (which allow the area and degree of filtering to be controlled) lest I spend even more time at this – but I may weaken one day, as it would have been nice to apply more of the effect in the centre, and gradually reduce it towards the edges.
Secret Scotland 