The very Aristotle Onassis-esque interior was planned as the cherry atop the the $1.5 million Dartz Prombron Monaco Red Diamond Edition, which was ridiculous opulence personified. Amenities which weren't covered in whale penis leather included

• Ruby Red matte paint
• Gold-plated bulletproof windows
• 22" Kremlin Red Star bulletproof wheels
• Tungsten exhaust
• Tungsten and white gold gauges with diamonds and rubies
• White gold diamond and ruby encrusted badges - grill, side and dashboard
• Special edition Vertu mobile phone with "alert" button
• Additional outside kevlar coating
• Rogue Acoustic Audio System.

[Jameslist]

The already bulletproof and wildly over-the-top 8.1 liter GM V8-powered Dartz Kombat T98 is getting a name change to Prombron and along with it will come a complete and brain-maimingly bourgeoisie upgrade with the Monaco Red Diamond Edition. The world's most expensive ultra-luxury SUV will debut at the 2010 Top Marques Monaco show with luxe features crazy enough to make a Maybach blush. For your $1.5 million you get the following features:

1. Ruby Red matte paint
2. Gold-plated bulletproof windows
3. 22" Kremlin Red Star bulletproof wheels
4. Whale Penis Leather interior
5. Tungsten exhaust
6. Tungsten and white gold gauges with diamonds and rubies
7. White gold diamond and ruby encrusted badges - grill, side and dashboard
8. Special edition Vertu mobile phone with "alert" button
9. Additional outside kevlar coating
10. Rogue Acoustic Audio System.

And, of course, of course -
THREE BOTTLES OF World Most Expensive Vodka - RussoBaltique Vodka, drink edition, same as in the RussoBaltique car when it visited Monaco at 1912.

We have a lot of questions about this car, most of them whale penis leather-related, but in the bigger picture, this brazen finger-in-the-eye raises a good point, so to speak. What makes a luxury vehicle? Things we used to think of as luxury - bovine leather, wood trim, high-end audio, etc., have become mainstream. Does it take exceptionally ridiculous material selection and bold ostentatious flair to define new luxury? Is it encapsulating yourself in a vehicle capable of taking a direct hit from a rocket propelled grenade? Does it mean emulating the wild excess of past luxury much like the Red Diamond is doing? Who knows. But we're betting the tzars would roll in one of these babies.
[Dartz via Jameslist]

It's a Mercedes W210 (we're guessing it's a 2002 vintage, but can't really be sure) E-Class wagon, most likely an E320 which we spotted in the Principality about three weeks ago. As if that weren't enough, it's been painted a wonderful shade of desert camo, and the venerable three-pointed star has been replaced with a reticle. The identity of this car's owner is as yet unknown, but since it belongs to a Monegasque, I think we can rule out Dick Cheney (although we did people moving a man-sized vault into one of the buildings, so it's not completely impossible). Our best (and completely baseless/unsubstantiated/wildly accusatory) guess: maybe it's Max Mosley? Because when you need to carry 5 prostitutes in style, comfort, and safety, a camouflage E-Class panzer-wagen is really the only choice...

Denis

Just as a little background, Bernie Ecclestone is the commercial rights holder to Formula One and he's been trying to get more control of the sport from FIA. Obviously, FIA wants to be able to maintain some control of the sport. But we think it's maybe taking it a bit far to say that Mosley is the only person that can stop Ecclestone, that he actually cares to stop Ecclestone or that Ecclestone can be stopped at all. And now, for your Nixon-speak:

"Anyone could stand and there would be no list to stabilise the process and ensure that each candidate had the support of a real cross-section of FIA member clubs. During the two to four month election period, the complex negotiations (with Ecclestone/CVC) ....would necessarily slow or even cease. A new president would then take over with no knowledge of the background and, worse, might perhaps have been elected with the support of the very people with whom we are negotiating."

"I have been determined to fight for the rights and role of the FIA in F1 and it is possibly for this reason that the media have been encouraged by those who have an interest in undermining my Presidency."

"I believe, therefore, that whatever the Extraordinary General Assembly decides, it should not reward those who have deliberately set out to destabilise the FIA at such a crucial time in its history."

"This will give me the time I need to progress the current negotiations to the point where proposals safeguarding the fundamental interests of the FIA can be submitted to the WMSC (World Motor Sport Council) and the General Assembly."

"It will also give me time to pursue the legal proceedings I have started against those who have caused so much unnecessary trouble and embarrassment. Above all, it will allow a smooth and orderly transition to a new presidency satisfactory to the membership as a whole."

"I have earned every cent. And in all of my years of public life I have never obstructed justice. People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook. I've earned everything I've got."

(h/t PhkMark) [A full account at Autosport.com]

Mosley will still probably attend the actual race at Moncao, but in no official capacity. In fact, the Monaco Royal Family has pretty much made clear that they're happy with the idea of old Max keeping his distance from parties, paddocks and especially princes. This effectively means that Mosley won't be acting as the head of the FIA, though he still doesn't seem to be poised to resign. We guess that it's the whole stiff upper lip (and whatever else) thing going on. (h/t PhkMark) [F1 Live]

The Times goes on to report that "the clear majority of team managers" think that Mosley's refusal to resign is hurting the sport. According to the paper, the Monaco Royal Family have expressed similar concerns. Mosley was ordered by the Royal family of Bahrain not to attend their F1 round, didn't attend the Spanish Grand Prix for fear of embarrassing King Juan Carlos and the Turkish Prime Minister's office approached Bernie Ecclestone to ensure their boss wouldn't encounter the besieged FIA President.

FIA's general assembly will meet on June 3rd for a vote of no confidence in their President. [via The Times]

The chassis was an aircraft style spaceframe and all wheels where suspended by way of double wishbones, horizontal coil springs, and cockpit adjustable oil dampers. With the car complete, it was tested at Monza ahead of its entry in the Italian Grand Prix, but the 75/25 weight distribution meant the car understeered magnificently, so it never raced. The car currently resides the Museo dell'Automobile in Turin, but we would pay good money to see that thing do a burnout or try to take a corner. [ and AntsPhoto]

Related:
NASA to Establish Moon Base, Moonage Planned by 2024; Classic Ad Watch: 1970 Plymouth Rapid Transit System [Internal]

This past week took me to Top Marques in Monaco, the ostentatious home of pure money yet consistent proof money does not buy class. Monaco is populated by rich, orange women well into their 50s who still believe they can carry off miniskirts. But it is also home to the world's most glamorous car show, with passenger rides round the Grand Prix track thrown into the bargain. And faced with such hot metal it is only natural to revert to the child within and go begging rides in the best of the bunch. The fact that the press were limited to one passenger ride per show made it all the more fun, the pits area turned into a black market of promised coverage, favors cashed in and backs rubbed, figuratively anyway...

The circuit was clogged with traffic, the cops almost put FIA GT star Wolfgang Kaufmann in jail by the end of day two due to him daring to accelerate up to the 50 kph (31 mph) limit in the Gemballa Mirage GT, all 650bhp of it, and Ariel also attracted a little trouble with the Atom's tendency to cut through traffic.

A closed road would have made it a lot better, but the drivers still found the odd hole in the gridlock for a blast of pure acceleration.

Gumpert's Apollo looked like the star of the show from where we stood, in a spectacular shade of lurid orange. This car is a relative bargain when compared to the Ferrari Enzo and LP640 and has the brute looks to force its way in to the supercar market. With a 650 bhp+ 4.2-liter Audi twin-turbo engine it's a borderline racing car, with a traditional six-speed manual gearbox, and it's going to be a star.

The German marque also went along with our bizarre photographic respects and many thanks to Ann-Caitrin for playing the role of Cannonball girl. With a degree in International Business on the way, she's smarter than we'll ever be, too...

Lamborghini bought legendary test driver Valentino Balboni for the occasion. He must have felt vaguely ridiculous providing a supercar taxi service for punters at pedestrian speeds round Casino Square and Rascasse. But as a chance to get up close and personal with this the most beautiful car on this Earth one more time and meet one of the heroes of the driving world on one of the legendary tracks, well it was cool at the time.

Tours of the circuit in the sledgehammer Koenigsegg CCX with its nonsensical door action, inimitable phone dial centre console and ear-splitting tones, a Fisker Tramonto that looks like a difficult choice to justify next to the Aston Martin AMV8 and the Leblanc Mirabeau, a Le Mans-style beast with licence plates, the practicality of a chocolate fireguard and the kind of pace to set your hair on fire helped the day go with a bang.

Refined breaks inside the Bentley Arnage Turbo and the perfectly composed 599 GTB Fiorano helped round out our $5 million hitch hiking adventure in Monaco. It was cheesy, it was hectic and with the Gumpert it was also mildly degrading to women. It was also a pretty impressive way to spend a day.

Related:
Car Hack's Notebook: The Dakar [internal]

A slithery GT coupe powered by GM's 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel? What's next, a Navistar-powered TVR? A Cummins 610 Turbo Morgan? Not so fast — the Trident Iceni is for real. And with 375 hp and 520 lb-ft of torque, it can get up and go from zero to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and top out at 170 mph. The company's taking orders on the six-figure sportster now. But before it does, it wants to prove the Iceni's fuel efficiency and eco-friendliness, so it's driving one of the cars from the UK to the Top Marques show in Monaco this week on a single tank of biodiesel. That's 900 miles on 26 gallons (and the filler will be sealed, so no clandestine fillups. Let's see a Duramax Silverado top that. – Mike Spinelli

[via Acurazine]

Related:
Detroit Auto Show: Variable Turbo Diesel Bruce [internal]

Visitors to the manor that is Goodwood this year will get to eyeball a prototype Caparo T1, the street-legal, almost-open-wheel, F1-style racer created by ex-McLaren engineers. A pre-production model will be on display, but won't be taking part in the famous hill climb. Still, its makers say the Caparo — reported to go from zero to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds will be ready for a 2007 attempt. We'd imagine more than one Aston Martin is quaking in its Michelins.

Related:
Caparo T1 to Be Unveiled in Monaco [internal]

From the "something that will most likely never happen to us" file, here's a tidbit from popbitch sent in by our pal Cole Coonce, who once rode his bicycle to Harper's Ferry:

Every year at the Monaco Grand Prix, a luxury yacht weighs anchor in the harbour and acts as a brothel for the drivers. One of the crew members recently revealed his favourite story.

A couple of years ago, a recently retired F1 favourite disappeared into a suite with two hookers, but asked the crew to watch his phone as he was expecting a call. His wife was in hospital in labour. When the phone rang, a crew member duly took the phone into the suite to find the bed covered in shit. The star had taken so much cocaine he'd lost control of his bowels. Still, this didn't phase the driver, as he calmly took the call from his mother-in-law, informing him that his child had been born. How sweet.

Fangio never woulda shat the bed.

Related:
Enrich Bernie Further! Buy an F1 Mousepad! [Internal]

One of the Gawkerettes, much to our considerable and unrelenting jealousy, spent Sunday in Monaco checking out the Grand Prix (go, go Alonso) from a yacht in the Mediterranean. While there, she (by the grace of Bill the parking attendant) captured a shot of the just-revealed Maserati MC12 Corsa — the track-only, limited-edition version of the Enzo-based MC12 — as it sat waiting for, well, we're not exactly sure what. Special thanks go to Mark Cumming of for use of the phone cam.

Related:
Let the Maserati Owners Have Some: The MC12 Corsa [internal]

George Barris is a funny little man. Back when he was in high school at San Juan, he and his brother would clamber into their hopped-up jalopy and drive down from out in Citrus Heights (which was completely the sticks back in the 1940s) and cruise down to McClatchy High in Sacramento, because, in Barris' words, "McClatchy had the best-looking girls." Later on, Barris built the Sidewinder, and if you couldn't cruise a high school in this bad boy and pull some tail back in '76, man, you weren't even trying. It's up for bids at Bonhams' Les Grandes Marques a Monaco in Monte Carlo this weekend. [Thanks to the Mighty Thor for the Mighty Tip.]

1975 George Barris 'Sidewinder' Buick V8-Engined Motor Tricycle [Bonhams]

Related:
Holy Shit! George Barris Auction! [Internal]

Our beaux fr res over at Le Blog Auto offer up this distinctive machine built by Italian restoration house Faralli & Mazzanti. It's the Antas V8, a design study that shows what might happen if a team of designers from Panoz and Morgan stared too deeply at a Tatra T87 after inhailing an eighth of 150-proof grappa. The V8-powered prototype will make its public debut at the Top Marques event in Monaco this week, where it'll be drooled on by tipsy, southern-European viscounts in scarves that cost more than Manhattan real estate. Tres gauche!

Antas V8 [Le Blog Auto]

Related:
Caparo T1 to Be Unveiled in Monaco [internal]

Caparo Vehicle Technologies, a specialty-car development company founded by ex-McLaren engineers, will soon unveil the street-legal F1 car they've been threatening to build. The batshit-insane, 1,100-pound, V8-powered T1 will be introduced by His Most Serene Highness of Monaco at the kingdom's Top Marques event next week, though with a zero-to-60 time of 2.5 seconds, it's doubtful even the king could keep his composure. An international incident may be at hand.

T1 [Caparo Vehicle Technologies]

Related:
Ex-McLaren Engineers Working up a Street-Legal F1 Car [internal]

With all of the attention given to '69 Chargers these days due to the Dukes of Hazzard hoopla, we felt it was time to focus on another historic Hollywood Mopar: It's got a cop motor a four-hundred- and-forty cubic-inch plant. It's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks; it was a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas. So what is it? A 1974 Dodge Monaco, of course. With the Bullitt Mustang and the Bandit's Trans Am, the Bluesmobile stands as a member of the Triumvirate of Filmic Car Chase Icons. And yes, we just made that up. Has a nice ring, tho, eh? Ah, if the policemen of Mt. Prospect, IL only knew what they'd given up. After all, all it needed was a new cigarette lighter.

Bluesmobile.net

Related:
It's Got a 4.6 Liter Plant: Cop Shocks, Cop Brakes, Cop Fire-Supression System [Internal]