X

Bentley and Monster Audio team up because nothing is sacred anymore

This "audiophile" car beats a Monster Energy collaboration, at least. Maybe.

Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
See full bio
Andrew Krok
2 min read
Monster by Mulliner
Enlarge Image
Monster by Mulliner

Oddly, Bentley's press release contains no pictures of the speakers themselves. This vent is as close as it gets.

 Bentley

When your brand collaborates with another, it helps if both companies have sterling reputations. Bentley makes some damn fine cars. Monster Audio, on the other hand, would like to sell you expensive cables that do little, if anything, better than some inexpensive Monoprice kit. Oh boy.

Monster by Mulliner is the result of Bentley and Monster Audio teaming up to create a car that is an audiophile's dream. Either that, or it was the result of three witches throwing random amphibian body parts into a cauldron and speaking in rhyme. Still looking into that one. Either way, it's a Continental GT V8 S, and it's got some fancy audio equipment.

Monster outfitted the car with 16 "hand-selected" speakers, because the speaker-choosing robot had the day off. The system has a 3,400-watt output, and it's tuned to "the company's signature audio profile," which is not defined further.

Bentley gave the car some really nice touches by way of its bespoke arm, Mulliner. The car sports beluga hide, a 3D laser-etched fascia panel, upgraded seats, red brake calipers and other unique baubles. There is also a storage area made specifically for Monster's 24-karat-gold wireless headphones, the wired version of which CNET reviewed favorably.

Monster by Mulliner

The car is actually quite attractive, as red and black make for a positively aggressive color combination.

 Bentley

The car is "designed to appeal to young professional athletes and musicians," says the press release, mostly because that's the only demographic that both knows about Monster Audio and can afford a Bentley.

It's a completely bespoke creation, so it's just one of one, and there are no plans to build more beyond that. For reference's sake, the standard Continental GT V8 S starts at $210,700 in the US (which is about £140,000 in the UK, around AU$400,000 in Australia). If Monster used its own wires in the car, the price should rise slightly to about $3.9 million.

If you're looking for more information on why Monster Audio's cables are hokum, CNET has a three-part look at why HDMI cables are all the same. There's also a great old post from the Audioholics forum, where one hi-fi fanatic found that a small sample of audiophiles couldn't tell the difference between high-end speaker cables and coat hanger wire.