How many times have you sat in the back of your Bentley Mulsanne and wished you could more easily get some work done? Fortunately, the clever engineers in Crewe have created the Bentley Executive Interior Concept (EIC), an orgy of Apple-powered gear surrounding one of the most beautiful rear seats available, made even more over-the-top by a new satin-finished, pin-striped maple Yachting veneer.
Stephen Viner, the electrical engineer in charge of the EIC, took us for a tour. First, a center console was added to house a lot of the gear and storage space for gadgets, a box of tissues and a small waste bin. Buttons in the center console control most features, including the opening and closing of the leather backed 15" LED screen (nothing more naff than an exposed plastic back).
The screen is flanked on either side by two seat-back video monitors. The audio and video system is powered by a Mac Mini (which sits in a new, easily accessible tray in the car's boot), allowing for full-on productivity, and you can of course connect an iPod or iPhone if your preferred tunes aren't in the Mini's library; any source then gets played through the car's Naim audio system, which provides 20 channels, 20 speakers, and 2200 watts.
The system is controlled by a wireless keyboard which neatly tucks into the rear of the console—just below the refrigerated compartment—and a trackpad. A new Bentley app also controls the system from any of your devices. When you've finished your work you can easily save it to one of two USB drives. Naturally, the car has its own wi-fi network.
A push of the outer buttons in the console releases the work tables, which rise and unfold (and retract) mechanically. Should you desire to access one of the car's two iPads, simply wave your hand in front of the tray and it opens to reveal a keyboard and dock.
Sometimes you just need to write something the old-fashioned way, and they've thought of that too, with a matching, custom-made Tibaldi pen. New task lights have been added, and of course vanity mirrors to check your appearance for important Skyping, FaceTiming or simply to shoot your daily Facebook profile update.The Executive Interior Concept is available as an option, and of course can be customized to your needs and specifications. Pricing wasn't announced, but if you have to ask... Visit Bentley for more information or to find a dealer near you.
