Online configurators can not only be great timewasters, but give us a glimpse of how desperate a brand can be for its customers. Why else would Bentley let you stamp obscenities on the door sill of a Mulsanne?
The Bentley configurator opens a multitude of options leading to taste-free combinations heretofore known only among certain Middle Eastern bling collectors and Lamborghini customizers. Even though the crew in Crewe doesn't let buyers run as amok as the corporate cousins at Bugatti, there's still hundreds of possible choices on most models, letting customers steer further from staid British luxury into color combos last seen on sportcoats from the Herb Tarlek collection.
Toward the bottom of the interior choices — I picked a Savannah green leather over Hotspur red two-tone for my Mulsanne — Bentley allows you to embroider a custom message in the treadplate and four headrests, just like a good "Things Remembered" store. What Bentley owner wouldn't be proud to display this tribute to Detroit Mayor Coleman Young, reminding passengers who's the boss?
But that's just one man's opinion. Try the customizer yourself, share a pic of your best door sill (aka, the "treadplate") greeting below and we'll post the top ones as a gallery on Monday.