BE PREPARED to spend big to own a Karlmann King - the world’s most expensive SUV. With a starting price tag of over $1M, the monster-sized vehicle can even come provided with an optional bullet proof exterior. Intentionally designed asymmetrical, the sport utility vehicle has what the creator calls the ‘diamond design’. Designer Luciano D’Ambrosio says inspiration was drawn from the Batmobile that featured in The Dark Knight trilogy. Luciano told Barcroft TV: “When you’re in this business for so many years you think, how about being a little different, especially exaggerated. The maverick designer threw the engineering manual out when envisioning the look for the Karlmann King. Multiple protruding surfaces making up its idiosyncratic look - the car is a spectacle to look at when it’s on the road. He said: “Going opposite to what the design rules would usually ask you for, it’s called the diamond design.” Although the car has been designed to be domineering and big, Luciano is quick to point out the car shouldn’t be seen as too aggressive. The construction of the car is comprised of a shell built and overlapped a Ford F550 chassis, but its unique design doesn’t stop there. For the more discerning customer the car is almost fully customisable. Under the bonnet the car boasts a Ford 6.7l V10 engine giving off 420 horsepower and, despite its mammoth shape, provides a smooth drive on the roads. The top speed of the vehicle is 220 km/h. Luciano said: “Given the size of the car you can imagine you’re driving an elephant but it’s a very flexible and nice drive.” Although its starting price begins at a cool $1,085,000, for a more bespoke design and with its customisable extras the vehicle can cost up to $3,800,000. “My most favourite thing is the way people look at the car, it doesn’t go unseen,’ said Luciano.
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MotorTranscript
00:00 This is the most expensive SUV in the world. It's absolutely unique.
00:07 With a starting price of over $1 million, this is the world's most expensive SUV.
00:18 And it even comes with optional bulletproofing, designed by Luciano D'Ambrosio.
00:24 This is the Kalman King.
00:28 [Motorcycle engine]
00:33 When you are in this business for so many years, then you think,
00:39 "Okay, now how about being a little bit different, but especially a little bit exaggerated?"
00:45 As you can see, this vehicle is not symmetrical.
00:50 On the right-hand side, we have one front door and one rear door.
00:56 This is the left-hand side of the car. As you can see, we have only one door.
01:00 Instead of trying to find the perfect combination of surfaces,
01:11 we try to create a break in the surfaces.
01:16 So somehow going opposite from what design rules would ask you for.
01:24 This is what we call diamond design.
01:26 It has to be big, dominant, but at the same time not to be so aggressive.
01:33 It's absolutely unique.
01:36 It may have a highly unique look, but this car has drawn comparisons to another famous vehicle, the Batmobile.
01:43 We created a vehicle which is really highly recognizable from any point of view.
01:49 The source of inspiration is very clear, you know, stealth fighter.
01:54 On the monitor, we are going to introduce the basic engineering construction of the Karmann King.
02:00 The basic construction of the car is fairly simple.
02:05 Imagine a shell that is built in order to be overlapped onto the original Ford F-550 chassis.
02:15 This is a construction which allows us easily to adapt the shell, which is always the same,
02:22 to different type of platform.
02:24 This car is totally customizable based on what the client desires, with many options for different interiors.
02:31 Regarding customizations, we can both in exterior and interior design introduce several adjustments.
02:39 But what's it like driving this diamond Batmobile around?
02:43 Given the size of the car, you would imagine that you're driving an elephant.
02:49 But as a matter of fact, it's a very flexible and nice drive.
02:53 You don't need any special ability to drive this car.
02:59 Regarding the mechanical contents of this project, we have started from a Ford F-550 platform.
03:12 The engine which is installed in this car is a 6.7 V10 Ford engine, which performs around 420 horses
03:23 and can run to a top speed of about 220 km/h.
03:30 The starting price is 1,085,000 US dollars and this is like the vehicle that we see here in our background.
03:43 We can move up to 3,800,000 according to the content that this vehicle will perform.
03:51 The most favorite thing is the way people look at the car, not to go unseen.
03:59 Basically, we only got stunning type of comments and this I think is the most interesting and satisfying for a designer.
04:08 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:11 (upbeat music)