Karlmann King is the first car produced by Karlmann – which translated is Charlemagne –, a company that operates from Los Angeles, has a factory in Italy, and is largely financed by Beijing-based International Automotive Technologies. The Karlmann King is an enormous luxurious lounge on wheels complete with recliners, a massive TV, champagne flutes, a coffee maker. However, with a price that starts at $1.850.000 for the standard version, is also the most expensive Sport Utility Vehicle, or as the company describes it: “the first Luxury Superior Utility Vehicle.”
Designed by a team consisting of over 1800 people lead by the Italian design director Luciano D’Ambrosio, the Karlmann King is handmade by a world top-level custom vehicle manufacturer in Italy. Size and price aside, its most impressive feature is the bodywork inspired by the diamond shapes of the invisible Stealth fighters. While the frame of the Karlmann King is based on a Ford F-550 chassis, of which it maintains the 6.8-liter V-10, suspension components, and transmission, which limit its speed to 87 mph.
On top of the above, the Karlmann King is, obviously, highly customizable with real gold trim, specialty upholstery, and even bulletproofing. Indeed, most Karlmann King buyers opt for the bullet-resistant option, which adds at least $300,000 to the price depending on the level of protection the client wants. The company has disclosed that they received an order for a fully customized Karlmann King with a $3.5 million price tag.
Michael Nothdurft, Karlmann’s sales director, told CNBC: “This car is the most emotional car that you can see at auto shows. People either hate it or they love it.” Indeed, the company aim is “to bring an unprecedented visual feast and driving experiences to the global car enthusiasts.”
Photos from www.karlmannking.com