What does it sound like to go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds inside a Bentley?
If it's inside the cabin of Bentley's latest collaboration with Monster, it must sound pretty good. Right?
We're talking about Monster Audio here and not Monster the energy drink (though we think those two brands fit better together than with a luxurious British carmaker).
Monster, better known for their pricey headphones, earphones, speakers and cables, has now found its way into outfitting audio systems for equally pricey cars.
"Monster is proud to collaborate with Bentley on bringing the sound and look of a Monster ride to those who want something bold and different. With our Pure Monster Sound system, the drive will be truly incredible and brings a new level of excitement to the driving experience," says Monster's CEO, Noel Lee.
On Bentley's part, the English company's Mulliner bespoke division took a Continental GT V8 S and gave it a Monster-themed makeover. With an Onyx black paint job and red accents, the "Monster by Mulliner" vehicle also sports a more muscular body kit, red brake calipers, beluga hide, upgraded seats and a custom 3D laser-etched fascia panel.
Inside the vehicle, the black and red Monster theme continues in the cabin with "Monster by Mulliner" also embroidered into the headrests. Monster's motto, "Always lead, never follow," is also handsomely stamped onto each of the door panels of the car.
What makes this Bentley a Monster Bentley is the car's audio system. Specially tweaked and tuned by Monster's head honcho, the vehicle is stacked with 16 speakers pumping out a deafening 3,400 watts of powered audio. There's even a special compartment built into the Bentley that houses a pair of Monster's latest 24K gold wireless headphones.
Besides the Monster-themed exterior, interior and Monster-spec'd audio, the rest of the Bentley Continental GT is unchanged. The vehicle still uses a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 520 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque delivered through an eight-speed automatic transmission.
At a stock weight of a little over 5,000 pounds (with a bit more coming from the custom Monster sound system), the "Monster by Mulliner" Bentley can still reach a top speed of 192 mph. That should be fast enough to "appeal to young professional athletes and musicians" – the target market that knows about Monster Audio and can still afford a Bentley.
This one, of course, is touted as a one-of-a-kind special edition coupe with an audio system that isn't available in any other production car in the world. That should markup the price of a standard Bentley Continental GT V8 S which starts at $210,700 in the U.S. At least it could be less expensive than the $1-million hypercar the company is also planning to release in 2019.
Basketball and football stars along with hip-hop artists may find the "Monster by Mulliner" appealing despite the heavier price tag. In fact, rappers Jay-Z and Kanye have been known to customize their Maybachs.
In this case, however, Bentley has taken it upon itself to get the ball rolling with Monster and offer a product that may just prove to be a hit with the young and wealthy they're targeting. If that doesn't work, there's that other Monster company to partner up with, but that might be an even tougher sell than this one already is.
