New Bentley Continental GT V8 arrives as GT coupe or GTC cabrio

The new Bentley Continental GT can now be bought as a V8, in either GT Coupe or GTC Cabriolet, as Bentley’s new GT gets a bigger range.

There is an argument that if you’re going to buy a Bentley Continental GT you should only consider it with the most powerful option – the glorious W12 engine.

But in the last generation GT, the V8 models were really the pick, because despite less power they also weighed less and felt a lot more focused as a result. Whether that will still be the same in the new, much improved, Conti GT we don’t yet know, but now the V8 versions are on the way so we’ll soon find out.

Bentley are rolling out both the V8 GT Coupe and V8 GTC Cabriolet at the same time, both with the same 542bhp and 569lb/ft torque from the 4.0 litre V8, with the Coupe delivering 0-62mph in 4.0 seconds and the Cabrio just a tenth slower. They’re only about two tenths slower than the W12.

What you should find, as long as your right foot isn’t too heavy, is an improvement in economy compared to the W12, with a 4WD dive train powering the back wheels most of the time and cylinder deactivation shutting down four cylinders when you poodling around.

Everything else is much the same as the W12, apart from quad exhaust tail pipes and V8 badges, and the fact you’ll need to option the Bentley Dynamic Ride System.

The new V8 Continental GT won’t arrive on sale in the UK until the beginning of 2020, and Bentley has yet to decide how much it will cost.