A NEW V8 derivative of the Bentley Continental GT has been announced and the luxury British motor company claims it can be personalised in a mind-blowing seven billion ways.

Priced from £148,800 - that's some £11,000 cheaper than the W12 Continental - Bentley has now opened an online configurator for the V8 to explore the myriad ways the car can be customised.

The V8 is powered by a 4.0-litre twin turbo engine developing 542hp and is capable of completing the 0 to 60 dash in 3.9 seconds with a maximum of 198mph. Convertibles are a fraction slower through the gears.

The Continental is currently in its third generation and was first launched in 2003.

Fuel economy and emissions are still to be confirmed but the new V8 has the ability to switch off four of its eight cylinders for eco-running.

It features 20-inch, 10-spoke painted alloy wheels with the option to choose from nine other designs measuring up to 22-inches and has a quad exhaust pipes and V8 badging to the front wings.

Both the coupe and convertible V8s are equipped with front and rear hollow, lightweight anti-roll bars to improve handling while an adaptive chassis created for Bentley's intelligent Dynamic Ride System, controls ride comfort and lateral roll, is available as an option.

Air suspension with the scope to vary from sporting spring stiffness to limousine refinement is also fitted as is continuous damping control.

As well as an active all-wheel drive system and electric power-assisted steering to aid manoeuvrability, the v8 models are offered with a wide range of driver assistance features, such as active lane assist, traffic jam assist and park assist.