Autoblog

Dartz promises own 6x6 G-Class with golden shishas and a dining room

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:01:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, Specialty, Russia, Design/Style, Luxury, Off-Road, MISC

So you didn't really think Dartz Motorz was going to let the limited-production, 544-horsepower Mercedes 6x6 G63 AMG go without a challenge, did you? Picking up the gauntlet as only Dartz can, the Russian dream-makers have come up with the Sahara G-eopard, supposedly a special request from a buyer to make one of the 'standard' six-wheelers "more opulent and insane."

That means the vehicle from the factory gets extended by about a foot (30 centimeters), coach doors in the rear, a "yacht floor" and air conditioning that runs on its own power source, Asanti 24-inch Gold Bullion wheels and a water dispenser with Russian diamonds, which the owner will need to fill the golden shishas (hookahs) in the portable smoking room. That's right, you heard the man: a portable smoking room. Where the occupants will retire when they're finished in the portable dining room. Of course.

Yes, it will even have leopard spotting painted onto its nano-coating, and so much more. You can check out the press release below from the source. Try not to be jealous.

Continue reading Dartz promises own 6x6 G-Class with golden shishas and a dining room

Dartz promises own 6x6 G-Class with golden shishas and a dining room originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dartz previews wild Nagel Dakkar luxury off-roader

George Kennedy — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 16:29:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Russia, Luxury, Off-Road, MISC

Dartz, builder of absolutely wild and rare SUVs, has just announced its latest future product offering. The Russian automaker is promoting a new soon-to-be-built vehicle, called the Nagel Dakkar. According to the company's spectacularly awkward press release, the aggressive beast you see above will define a new class of vehicle; B.N.U.D.S., which stands for Bespoke Noble Urban Desert Safety. How's that for acronyms?

Dartz promises this class of vehicle will be more exclusive than a Lamborghini Urus, and more capable than one of Bowler's Land Rover-based ground-pounders.

According to the press release, the "Nagel" in Nagel Dakkar comes from Andrew Nagel, a Russian driver who won the 1912 Monte Carlo rally.

Dartz has provided a rendering of the vehicle from German designer Pochwatta, as well as a pair of sketches from designer Alex Isaev. Dartz says that these bodystyles can be modified and customized to the buyers liking.

At the heart of the Dartz is a Mercedes-Benz 5.5-liter bi-turbo V8 making 650 horsepower and 626 pound feet of torque. Power is sent through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox to a capable four-wheel drive system.

According to Dartz, the bodywork will be rendered in carbon Kevlar and the vehicle will ride on a titanium tube frame chassis. It will cost anywhere from $390,000 to $486,000, and Dartz plans on rolling out ten units in 2013, 20 units in 2014, and aims to max out capacity at 40 units per year for the following three years. That would make it one exclusive luxo-ute. Attempt to decipher the Dartz-spec press release for yourself by scrolling below.

Continue reading Dartz previews wild Nagel Dakkar luxury off-roader

Dartz previews wild Nagel Dakkar luxury off-roader originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dartz promises matte Black Dragon with bullet-like wheels and crazy trimmings

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Truck, China, Specialty, Luxury, MISC

If Rolls-Royce can make a Year of the Dragon special edition Phantom, then why can't Dartz do the same? And if Rolls can sell out the entire run of $1.2 million sedans, then why can't Dartz do the same for 12 Prombron Black Dragons priced at an estimated 50,000,000 Chinese renminbi ($7.4 million U.S. greenbacks)?

Dartz said its research revealed that Chinese buyers want something "Bigger and More expensive than [the] neighbours car." They'll find it in the Black Dragon Prombron a "mobile business" limo that joins another "business pullman called The Dictator that will arrive in Spring."

The Black Dragon is two feet longer than the standard Prombron, has one door on the left side and three on the right, lead plate for safety due to "memories of Fukushima," a 42-inch television, a piano lacquer floor and logos in diamonds, gold and rubies. For starters.

Follow the jump for another signature press release from Dartz and a video of the behemoth that prowls an autocrat's dreams.

Continue reading Dartz promises matte Black Dragon with bullet-like wheels and crazy trimmings

Dartz promises matte Black Dragon with bullet-like wheels and crazy trimmings originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dartz headed to Monaco with Jo-Mojo electric roadster concept [w/video]

Noah Joseph — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertible, Videos, Misc. Auto Shows, Electric, MISC

Think of the name Dartz and, if you're up on your whale foreskin-upholstered SUVs, you'll invariably arrive at the Prombron. But while glad to furnish Eastern European mobsters with the machine that makes the Hummer look like a beauty queen, Dartz is keen to break out of the Prombron's mold with sleeker offerings. That's what led to the design of the chopped-down Nagel sedan and, more recently, to the Mojo roadster. Now Dartz has followed up with another design it calls the Jo-MoJo.

As promised, the Jo-Mojo is an electric roadster. Designed, like other Dartz concepts, by Eduard Gray, the Jo-Mojo packs an 80-horsepower electric motor that can be recharged (over who knows how long a timeframe) by a retractable solar panel that encloses the cockpit when parked and acts as the only roof to speak of.

For some inexplicable reason, even though the occupants are exposed to the elements in the open-air cabin, Dartz has also bothered to make the vehicle's body partially bulletproof. Thus, anyone riding shotgun might survive an attack from a rival syndicate, though anyone tall enough to see over the nonexistent windshield likely wouldn't.

Dartz says the roadster is slated to debut at the Top Marques show in Monaco - where else? - but if Monte Carlo isn't on your itinerary, you can check out the video clip and press release after the jump, along with the renderings in the high-res image gallery.

Continue reading Dartz headed to Monaco with Jo-Mojo electric roadster concept [w/video]

Dartz headed to Monaco with Jo-Mojo electric roadster concept [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dartz downsizes to find its Mojo

Noah Joseph — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertible, Europe, MISC

There are a lot of things you could call the Dartz Prombron, but small, economical and svelte certainly aren't among them. The hulking Latvian SUV is about as brutish as they come, and while Dartz has ventured into sleeker territory with the Nagel concept, that's little more than a cut-down Prombron made for towing speedboats. This, however, is something else entirely.

Looking like something you might expect to see in the archives at Bertone or Giugiaro (or on the set of the next Alien vs. Predator movie), the Mojo is a new roadster being developed by Dartz. The shape is both curvaceous and angular (and strange...), with the engine exposed in the back (though no word yet on what engine that is) and two motorbike-style exhaust silencers protruding into the air. A glass canopy can be closed or slid backwards for ingress, egress and open-air motoring. There's even an electric version in the works called Jo-Mojo. Funny names since, unlike some of its other offerings, this Dartz vehicle actually isn't upholstered in foreskin. At least, we assume it isn't.

The Mojo is set to be showcased at the 2012 Top Marques Monaco show at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo come April, by which time Dartz will presumably offer a little more in the way of technical details. In the meantime you can check out the photos in the gallery for a closer look.

Dartz downsizes to find its Mojo originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sacha Baron Cohen's gold-plated Dartz spied

Zach Bowman — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:31:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Celebrities

Sacha Baron Cohen is currently working up his next contribution to cinema. The Dictator is a spoof flick built around a persona very similar to Saddam Hussein, the former ruler of Iraq. Cohen has turned to Russian SUV manufacturer Dartz to supply a few vehicles for his motorcade, and the automaker responded with a set of gold-plated Kombat wagon models. A few shots of the vehicles have made their way to the web, and we have to say that they wouldn't look out of line cruising through the oil-rich sands of pre-invasion Iraq.

The Dictator is set to land in movie theaters in May 2012 with director Larry Charles behind the wheel. Word has it celebrities like Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley and Megan Fox will all make appearances in the flick, though it's unclear what part they'll play in the action. Head over to GT Spirit for a closer look at the gold-plated Kombat wagons.

Sacha Baron Cohen's gold-plated Dartz spied originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dartz continues to confound and amuse, this time with Playboy and vodka

Jeff Glucker — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:28:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Etc., Videos, Specialty, Russia, Off-Road, MISC

Russian automaker Dartz is the automotive equivalent of The Jersey Shore. It produces the tackiest products that you can't stop looking at or watching. Case in point: this latest video from Dartz, which highlights the ladies-only armored Prombron Iron Diamond SUV, a Playboy bunny from the Latvian version of the magazine's September issue and a bottle of Russo-Baltique vodka that might just cost more than the car.

Click past the jump for the video, but turn down your speakers before you do. Whoever put the clip together decided to twist the sound level to 11, which could make for unwanted attention in the office. Also, the music has lots and lots of language that's not safe for work.

Continue reading Dartz continues to confound and amuse, this time with Playboy and vodka

Dartz continues to confound and amuse, this time with Playboy and vodka originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dartz Prombron Nagel packs 2,000 boat-pulling horsepower [w/video]

Noah Joseph — Mon, 09 May 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Russia, Luxury

Dartz Prombron Nagel - Click above for high-res image gallery

With all these intriguing boat designs crossing our desk - like the Audi trimaran and the Bugatti Sang Bleu speedboat - we're going to need something to tow them around with. And what could be more suitable than the Dartz Prombron Nagel?

Looking something like a Lego car, the Nagel is envisioned specifically for pulling boat trailers. It's based on the same platform as the colossal Prombron SUV, but with a new sedan-like form penned (appropriately enough) by Gray Design - the same designers behind the Beach Cruiser concept, the Corvette Stingray speedboat and that megayacht with the supercar inside.

Now, a sedan may not seem like the best choice for towing boats, but this particular vehicle is pegged to pack a fantastical 2,000 horsepower. (Unless they're planning to package two quad-turbo W-16 Bugatti engines under the hood, don't ask us how they intend to get to such a stratospheric output figure.) That's claimed to be enough for "the world's first armored Sportback" to pull a five-ton, 15-meter (50-foot) boat or drive to a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph), hopefully not at the same time.

Perhaps most incredibly of all, the Nagel is scheduled to hit production sometime next year. It serves as a rolling tribute to the 100th anniversary of the journey undertaken by a Russian team to the Monte Carlo rally, a venture that earned them numerous decorations from both the Monegasque crown prince and the Russian czar. Scope out the details in the press release along with the video slideshow after the jump, and the renderings in our high-resolution image gallery.

Continue reading Dartz Prombron Nagel packs 2,000 boat-pulling horsepower [w/video]

Dartz Prombron Nagel packs 2,000 boat-pulling horsepower [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 May 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dartz presents Iron Diamond... for ladies only

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 09:29:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Luxury, Off-Road, MISC

Dartz Prombrom Iron Diamond - Click above for high-res image gallery

Dartz calls the Prombron Iron Diamond - a three-door, armored behemoth - an SUV for ladies, by ladies. If that is the case, these are the kinds of ladies we have got to meet, preferably from the safety of our own armored Prombron.

The Iron Diamond, with ten possible interior treatments including "skat," is meant to keep women from showing up to the party in the same black SUV as every other woman. It is shorter than the standard Prombron and has eight cameras all 'round to assist with parking. It also sheds a door on the driver's side to lessen the chance that a kidnapper can gain entry and abscond with said partygoing woman's handbag. No one said it had to make sense...

Don't even think about trying to purchase the one pictured above, as it has been claimed by a Kazakh heiress. Just make sure you read the spectacularly unedited press release after the jump, which, in its way, will say more about the Dartz Iron Diamond than we ever could.

Gallery: Dartz Iron Diamond

[Source: Dartz]

Continue reading Dartz presents Iron Diamond... for ladies only

Dartz presents Iron Diamond... for ladies only originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zenvo ST1 gets a U.S. distributor and a price: $1,225,000

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:27:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, SUV, Specialty, Diesel, Luxury

Zenvo ST1 - Click above for high-res image gallery

The Zenvo ST1 and Dartz Kombat are coming the to U.S., both brought to you by Indiana importer Red Sea Distribution. The Danish-made coupe will set you back $1,225,000. That price might seem steep for ~~a dressed-up Corvette~~ boutique, mid-engined coupe from a nation not known for supercars. However, underneath that fiendishly gorgeous body there's a 7.0-liter Corvette V8 that's been upgraded to a twin-charged, 1,104-horsepower monster that'll get you to 60 miles per hour in under three seconds. And they're only making 15 of them per year.

The Dartz Kombat comes in at a much more palatable $225,000, and while you can't get that whale foreskin interior anymore, you can get all kinds of amour and perhaps even armament that will protect you from, well, everything bar a direct asteroid hit. You can check them both out in the gallery of high-res photos below, and figure out your ordering preferences after reading the press releases post-jump. Hat tip to Alexis

Gallery: Zenvo ST1 and Dartz Kombat come to America

[Source: Red Sea Distribution]

Continue reading Zenvo ST1 gets a U.S. distributor and a price: $1,225,000

Zenvo ST1 gets a U.S. distributor and a price: $1,225,000 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dartz snakes its way into a Bentley Continental GT

Noah Joseph — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Bentley, Russia, Luxury

Bentley Continental GT "SS" by Dartz - Click above for high-res image gallery

Snakeskin? What snakeskin, you ask? Look closer, because while it may not be as in-your-face as the treatment on those cowboy boots you spotted while on vacation in the Southwest (or the tights on those girls from Jersey), this Bentley is literally covered in the stuff.

The snakeskin texture on the Continental GT you see above is carried out by Dartz, the same Russian firm behind the Prombron SUV. Fortunately, having apparently learned from the whole whale-foreskin debacle, the snakeskin treatment is applied as a pattern to a white vinyl wrap that gives the Bentley a unique texture. Along with it, Dartz has also applied white alloys, blacked-out brightwork and smoked tail-lamp lenses for a decidedly shine-proof look.

The same treatment carries on to the interior, and Dartz calls the finished product the Continental GT "SS" - a presumable reference to the snakeskin theme, while nodding to the similarly-shaded Continental Supersports. And while it may not be everyone's proverbial cup of tea, in this case we can say at least it's not whale penis.

Gallery: Bentley Continental GT "SS" by Dartz

[Source: Dartz via CarScoop]

Dartz snakes its way into a Bentley Continental GT originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dartz creates car to commemorate Russian SUV whale penis debacle

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, SUV, Etc., Specialty

Dartz Whalewatch Penisguard - Click above to view high-res image gallery

Warning: if reading the word "penis" over and over again makes you uncomfortable, you might want to avert your eyes. First of all, the real story here is that Russian super-SUV maker Dartz never wanted to use whale penis skin to cover the seats in their ultra-lux Prombron. They wanted to use whale foreskin. Why? Well, it's been said that Aristotle Onassis had the bar stools on one of his yachts clothed in sperm whale foreskin. Why did Mr. Onassis do that? Sperm whale foreskin is supposedly the softest leather on earth. Now you know.

Anyhow, for some reason Dartz decided not to go with whale foreskin for their Prombron SUV~~ulger~~, which would have really given new meaning to the phrase "from Russia with love." Oh, yeah! The reason was a massive international save the whales (and their penises) outcry led by none other than Pamela Anderson. And really, what better advocate could whale wienies have than Pam? For all we know she very well might be the world's foremost expert on cetacean penis - ever seen that video from her honeymoon? Anyhow, Dartz backpedaled, cut the whale foreskin (so to speak) and then decided to build a special Volga (above) thanking Pam Anderson for helping to save the whales. And their Johnsons.

We think. Look, at this point we're used to babbling, incoherent ramblings from Dartz. After all, they released the world's second most incomprehensible press release when they announced no whale members would be harmed during the construction of their gaudy, oligarchical SUV. How do we know it's only the second most difficult to make heads or tails of? Because Dartz just released the most incomprehensible press release in the world explaining the thinking behind this here car. And you can read all of its unshaven glory after the jump. One more thing: whale penis.

Gallery: Dartz Whalewatch

[Source: James List]

Continue reading Dartz creates car to commemorate Russian SUV whale penis debacle

Dartz creates car to commemorate Russian SUV whale penis debacle originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Foreskin Removal: Dartz Prombron drops the whale penis

Frank Filipponio — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:28:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Russia, Design/Style, Luxury

Dartz Prombron luxury SUV from Russia

You probably heard about the Dartz Prombron recently, the ultra-luxury armored SUV from Russia that would feature, among other ne plus ultra materials, leather pulled from whale penis foreskin. Why whale foreskin? Someone told them it was the best so they jumped on it. Unfortunately, the attraction didn't last very long. They have issued a release saying they will release the penis from their options list. Apparently the company has had a rethink on their choice of interior materials after receiving negative responses to their announcement from Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund, and even Pamela Anderson.

Personally, we think this might be more of a reaction to the new anti-whaling boat that the Sea Shephards have picked up for the upcoming season of Whale Wars: The newly rechristened Ady Gil, a 90 km/h semi-submersible tri-hull that holds the record for global circumnavigation. Whatever the reason, Dartz has Bobbitted the penis from the vehicle's spec sheet. In a brilliant press release that we couldn't possibly put into any better words, the company announced the change. Follow the jump to read the verbiage for yourself. Thanks for the tips, everyone!

[Source: Dartz via The Star, Jameslist]

Continue reading Foreskin Removal: Dartz Prombron drops the whale penis

Foreskin Removal: Dartz Prombron drops the whale penis originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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