The V8 is the lighter of the two Continentals. It carries around 100 kg less than the W12, almost all of it over the front axle, and that is the difference a driver notices before any of the others.

The engine is the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 at 550 horsepower and 770 Nm, the same unit fitted to the coupe. 0 to 100 km/h takes 4.1 seconds and top speed is 318 km/h. Under light load it shuts down four of the eight cylinders, switching in around 20 milliseconds, which is how a car of this weight covers the distance it does between fills.

The fabric roof folds in 19 seconds and will operate at up to 50 km/h, so the decision does not have to be made before setting off. Acoustic insulation is built into the layers, and with the roof raised the cabin measures close to the coupe for noise.

The car is finished in Thunder, a dark grey, and carries the Blackline specification: the brightware that would normally be chrome — grille surround, window trim, badging and exhaust finishers — is gloss black instead.

Inside is Beluga hide with Cyber Yellow as the contrast color, specified through Mulliner and carried through the stitching, the seat piping and the door inserts.