As the saying goes: if you have to ask, you can’t afford it. However, V8 Bentley Continental GT Convertible running costs are better than its bigger engine, 6.0-litre brother.

Average fuel consumption for the smaller engine is nearly a claimed 26mpg, while the 6.0-litre version has a claimed 19mpg on average with real world driving seeing that drop to low teens.

This isn’t the best way to make an eco-friendly statement – Bentley Continental GT Convertible emissions are high, coming in at 254g/km of CO2. That creeps it in to road tax band L, which is one under the top band.

It is also in marked contrast to its 6.0-litre brother, which spews out 384g/km of CO2 putting it firmly into the top road tax band.

The Continental’s V8 engine is based on that found in Audi’s S6, S7 and S8 performance saloons, none of which have damaged Audi’s cast-iron reputation for reliability.

The Bentley will have been fastidiously screwed together and while there have been minor reliability niggles with earlier Continentals, there have been few major problems reported with recent Bentley Continental GT Convertible reliability.

Likewise, the W12 engine has been around for a while and is a strong unit, so should prove reliable so long as it is serviced regularly.