Karlmann King: the Notorious SUV

Ignore the carbon-fibre shell, the diamond-studded interior and the paltry top speed – this isn’t a car, it’s a piece of art… with a price to match.

Words: Werner Jessner

Photo: Karlmann King

"Do you know what luxury is? Luxury is waste. I allowed myself to waste air.” So says Luciano D’Ambrosio, architect of the Karlmann King, about the aerodynamics of the new SUV – and he knows a thing or two on the subject. As former chief designer at Italian automobile firm Bertone, he has sculpted Lamborghinis, Bugattis and Ferraris. “It was refreshing to get something so provocative,” says D’Ambrosio. “A car where I did everything differently from how I normally would.”

Commissioned by Chinese auto company IAT to envision a vehicle inspired by stealth fighters, the 60-year-old designed a 2.5m-wide SUV that cannot fail to be noticed. Built on the chassis of a Ford F550 4x4 and requiring a truck licence to drive, the Karlmann King is wrapped in a polygonal case of carbon fibre and steel, and weighs 4.5 tonnes. That rises to six tonnes with bulletproofing, limiting the output of its V10 engine to a mere 140kph.

“Everyone wants to be fast. This is not a car to go fast in,” declares D’Ambrosio. It’s also not a car to take the family in – its spacious interior, although peppered with cut diamonds, has only two seats. Priced at around £1.66 million, it’s the world’s most expensive SUV, although that, too, is an artistic statement.

“I want enthusiasm or disapproval, nothing in between,” says D’Ambrosio. “If there were no reactions, it would mean I had done something wrong.” Although, with only nine being made, he admits he may get very few reactions: “You won’t see one outside the shopping centre. You’re more likely to see it in an apocalyptic film.”

karlmannking.com