Bentley->ke15 has a special, one-off Continental GT V8 S Convertible that it’s bringing at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed->ke3879 on June 24. Why is it special, you ask? Well, for starters, it’s an art car, which comes heavily with personalized touches from the commissioned artist doing it. That brings me to the main highlight of this particular Continental->ke3108 art car. The man behind its colorful design is none other than Sir Peter Blake, arguably the most famous British pop artist in the world, and the man responsible for some of the most famous cover albums in history, including the Beatles’ iconic Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

For this project, Sir Blake traded in his usual gig of designing cover albums in favor of designing an actual car. The fact that the car is a Continental GT V8 S only adds to the magnitude of this project. For its part, Bentley isn’t just touting this one-off project as a showpiece model. This Continental art car has actually donated this car to the Care2Save Charitable Trust, which in turn is sending it to the auction block at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Proceeds of the auction will then go the Trust, which is responsible for providing palliative and hospice care around the world.

It’s unclear how much the Continental V8 GT S art car will cost, but considering the model itself, as well as the man who designed it and the purpose behind the car, it’s safe to say that it’s going to sell well north of the standard model’s $250,000 price range.

Continue after the jump to read the full review.

What Makes The Bentley Continental GT V8 S Convertible Pop Art Car Special

The mere fact that it's designed by one of the most decorated pop artists in the world is reason enough to consider this one-off Continental special. But in this case, the details of the car are really what makes it stand out. Take the body for example.

The exterior of the Continental GT V8 S Convertible is the embodiment of what the industry has come to know about “art cars.” The obvious takeaway is that it’s very colorful, but it isn’t so much about the colors itself but more so what these colors represent. The lower body, for instance, comes with a British Racing Green, a possible nod to arguably one of the most famous color finishes to come out of Britain. Meanwhile, the upper body has a predominantly St Luke’s Blue paint finish, which was used to pay homage to Bentley’s local St Luke’s Cheshire Hospice. From there, the hood of the Continental GT V8 S receives a Continental Yellow finish while the radiator shell gets a Fuchsia Pink radiator shell. Rounding out the artistic touch on the exterior is the hand-painted St. James Red heart motif on the center of the hood.

The use of all these colors is a staple of Sir Blake’s past works, most notable the cover of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Those familiar with the art cover of that album will know what I’m talking about.

The flamboyant look of the exterior continues in the interior of the Continental GT V8 S Convertible as all four colors were also used in the cabin. The steering wheel, in particular, comes in a colorful combination made up of Newmarket Tan in the inner rim, Hotspur in the outer rim, Cumbrian Green in the center, and Imperial Blue in the stitching. Meanwhile, the gear lever has a Vivid Pink finish that dramatically contrasts with the Piano Black car that was used on the center console, dashboard, and interior door panels.

The interior storage cases also have Piano Black veneer with linings in Continental Yellow and St James Red to reflect the same treatment used on the hood of the Continental. The last bit of details on the interior include special sill plates, embroidered headrests with Sir Blake’s signature, and a unique treadplate, labeling this one-of-a-kind Continental V8 GT S Convertible as a real “1 of 1.”

As decorated as the exterior and interior of the Continental GT V8 S Convertible are, the engine remains the same. That’s been the formula with a lot of art cars from the past and Bentley didn’t deviate it from it. So this one-off Continental still comes with a 4.0-liter biturbo V-8 engine that pumps out 520 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque. All that power is coursed through an eight speed automatic transmission, which in turn sends it to all four wheels to give the luxury convertible a 0-to-60-mph sprint time of just 4.5 seconds to go with a top speed of 181 mph.

Bentley Continental GT V8 S Convertible

Absurdly long name notwithstanding, the Bentley Continental GT V8 S Convertible is one of the more evocative variants of Bentley's Continental lineup. Introduced in its current form in 2015, the Continental GT V8 S Convertible is the embodiment of what a luxury convertible should be. The exterior details are still outstanding while the interior is as finely appointed as it's ever been. Then there's the engine, which still packs quite a punch in the form of a 4.0-liter biturbo V-8 that produces 520 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque. Everything about the Continental speaks to the quality of Bentley's work. It's nice to know that even with the name's age, the models are still up to the standards of today's discerning clientele.

Read our full review on the Bentley Continental GT V8 S Convertible here.