A Bentley is a precious thing. If you spend close to $200,000 on a car, you want it to stay perfect forever. No dings in the grocery store parking lot. No "love taps" from any distracted cell phone drivers. And, most importantly, no mangled installs. That's why Jake Kunz at Atlanta's Butler Tire called Monty Knight at HiFi Buys - Johnson Ferry. In Kunz's own words, "Monty's the only one I trust."
The Bentley in question, a gorgeous 2005 Continental GT Mulliner, was acquired by Butler Tire to big up its custom tire and suspension shop, so the lion's share of attention rightly went to the exterior. It was painted a slick shade of Silver Tempest, and the car was lowered via a Butler Tire proprietary adjustment. Mansory front lower chrome grilles were installed, and the engine got a bit of a boost with a Eurotek ECU - bringing the horses to 630 and the torque to 670. Wheels came in the form of HRE 943r 22" x 9" front, 22" x 10" rear; while Pirelli Pzero Nero tires, 295/25/ZR22 front and rear, were slapped on to keep things gripped. Looking good. But to get those eyeballs on your wheels, you have to grab their ears first. That's where Knight came in.
Heap Big Style
The Bentley's center console comes with a sweet display that should come standard in every vehicle. To get it working like they wanted, Kunz and Knight wired up an Alpine VPA-B211A VehicleHub Interface Adapter, which provides a graphical link to third-party audio equipment, such as an Apple iPod. And an iPod is just what they used. Thanks to the Hub, the iPod (black, naturally, to match the interior) can stay in its dock, located between the front seats. A custom interface allows for control of the iPod as well. In addition, an Alpine DHA-S680 6-disc DVD changer and Sirius Satellite Radio tuner, kept in line by an Alpine video interface, can be controlled from the factory screen.
Heap Big Sound
As befitting a vehicle like this, the audio install was kept clean. Extremely clean. No fancy extras or clever tricks, just exceptional sound, exceptionally installed. To that end, two sets of 3 Focal 100 KP's went into the front doors in their factory locations, and two sets of 3 Focal 165 K3P's went into the rear. The end result is cleaner than a maternity ward - but much better sounding, of course.
The Bentley has a unique feature in the back. A narrow hole opens through to the interior from the trunk, ostensibly to make room for the skis of jet-setting playboys who want to skip off to Aspen for the weekend. There's not much good skiing within driving distance of Atlanta, so the ski hole was put to better use. A Focal 13" 33 KX subwoofer was brought in, placed in an enclosure fabricated of fiberglass and metal, and installed to fire through the rear ski hole into the cockpit. It was finished in rich Connolly leather to match the Bentley's stately interior. What would Blaine and Buffy say?
Heap Big Power
Powering the whole business is an Audison VRx 6.420 EX, complemented by two AudioControl LC6 audio interfaces and an AudioControl DQS equalizer. JL Audio power and interconnects run throughout. And, to keep things nice and tight, the entire interior was removed and a generous helping of Dynamat Extreme was applied. How generous is generous? Try an entire pallet!
After a week of work at both HiFi Buys - Johnson Ferry and Butler Tire, and about $50,000 withdrawn from the company bank account, the Bentley was ready to roll. When asked if the Bentley has received any awards or special recognition, Kunz hilariously replied, "Sure, every hot chick in the ATL." You know this.
Kunz would like to thank Mark, John and Brandon at Butler Tire Company in Atlanta; Monty Knight at HiFi Buys - Johnson Ferry; Phil at Eurotek Designs; and his pal Gil.
Tech Box
Wheels: HRE 943r 22" x 9" front, 22" x 10" rear
Tires: Pirelli Pzero Nero 295/25/ZR22 front and rear
Engine: Eurotek ECU upgrade to 630hp, 670 lb-ft of torque
Suspension: Butler Tire proprietary lowered adjustmentBody: Mansory front lower chrome grilles
Owner Profile
Jake Kunz, Butler Tire
Kunz works in Celebrity Sales at Butler Tire in Atlanta, so you know he rolls with the big dogs. It hasn't gone to his head, however, as he remains one hilarious guy. We routinely ask all of our featured vehicle owners about their listening habits and if their car is a daily driver. This is Kunz's response: "It's a daily driver, and I listen to Kenny Chesney as loud as my 13" sub will play him!" Nice.
To get the factory VAVTV monitor working like they want it to, Kunz and Knight wired up an Alpine VPA-B211A VehicleHub Interface Adapter, which provides a graphical link to third-party audio equipment, such as an Apple iPod.
Two sets of 3-way Focal 100 KP's went into the front doors in their factory locations, and two sets of 3-way Focal 165 K3P's went into the rear.
A Focal 13" 33 KX subwoofer was placed in an enclosure fabricated of fiberglass and metal, and fires through the rear ski hole into the cockpit. It was finished in rich Connolly leather to match the Bentley's stately interior.