A NEW Bentley Continental Convertible will be joining the luxury range this summer.

With a retractable hood that takes just 19 seconds to operate at speeds of up to 30mph, the latest Continental GT V8 will cost from £167,000 - some £16,000 more than the conventional Continental V8 but still £9,000 less than its W12 engined stablemate.

The V8 Convertible is powered by a 4.0-litre, 542bhp engine and Bentley says the construction of the roof enables it to be as quiet inside as the previous Continental GT Coupe.

On paper it has a 0 to 60mph acceleration time of four seconds, a top speed of 198mph and can average a claimed 23.3mpg. Emissions are rated at 260g/km.

Bentley's head of interior design, Darren Day, said: "A convertible Bentley is the ultimate romantic Grand Tourer. With the soft top lowered one becomes further connected with the elements and surroundings during the journey."

Up to 56 combinations of interior and exterior roof colour are available and Bentley has including a British tweed finish for the roof among the options available.