The Dartz Black Alligator, an utterly insane armored-luxury SUV from Latvia, may have some competition. Meet the Karlmann King, which reportedly costs in excess of $2 million.
Auto Express reported Thursday that the King SUV comes from Chinese firm IAT, although it's not built there. In stead, a small European team assembles the King, which packs enough luxury to make Rolls-Royce and Bentley jealous. Certainly, no one will mistake the Karlmann King for a Bentley or Rolls-Royce, however. IAT said its goal was to design and build a "stealth" vehicle, but they didn't mean incognito. Instead, wedgy exterior shape evokes stealth fighter planes and wouldn't look out of place in the hands of a cartoon villain.
Underneath the radical exterior design is a Ford F-550, and it shows. The King weighs nearly 5 tons, but optional bulletproofing raises the weight to about 6.6 tons, or over 13,000 pounds. Thus, acceleration is not the King's strong suit. The F-550's 6.8-liter V-10 engine makes around 400 horsepower in the Karlmann King, but its top speed is a rather disappointing 87 mph. The Dartz SUV will run laps around the King with a Mercedes-Benz-sourced 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 and outputs ranging from 760 to as much as 1,600 horsepower.
Where the King really shines is the interior, which is downright mesmerizing. A starlight headliner showers the cabin with light, while leather-lined surfaces coddle occupants. Standalone features include separate air conditioning units for the front and rear, a television, a PlayStation 4, a coffee machine, and an electronically controlled chilling cabinet. Every feature also works with a built-in app.
You can see more of the Karlmann King in the dramatic video above.
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