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Karlmann King visits the New York motor show

Proof again that money can buy many things, including an SUV styled like the stealth fighter. But it doesn't necessarily buy class.


Lurking in the entrance hall of the Jacob Javits Center is the Karlmann King, an oversized SUV styled like a stealth fighter... but it's as invisible as a rhinoceros wearing a clown outfit playing the bagpipes.

The Karlmann King is based on the Ford F-550 chassis, and measures 5990mm long, 2450mm wide, 2480mm tall, riding on a 3691mm wheelbase.

There are three passenger doors: two up front, and one at the rear on the passenger's side.

Under the bonnet is a 6.8-litre V10 petrol engine capable of propelling the beast to a top of speed of around 140km/h.

The car's low top speed is thanks to its, presumably, poor aerodynamics and weight. Despite having a body made from carbon-fibre, the car tips the scales at 4500kg in its most basic trim and runs to 6000kg if armour plating is specified.

Pricing for the car starts from $2 million ($2.8 million), and the car is built to order.

The area for the driver and front passenger are pretty much straight over from Ford F-550, albeit with new leather and gold trim.

The rear cabin is walled off from the front of the car, and customers can customise this compartment to their heart's, and wallet's, content.

Standard configurations include two or three reclining seats, a 4K television, Sony PlayStation 4, fridge, a safe, coffee maker, separate air conditioning and purifier system, and an LED star field for the ceiling.

Despite the high price tag, workmanship on the display seems iffy at best, with bubbly and uneven paint, and fogged up lights.

According to a company spokesman, one Karlmann King has been built so far in Turin, and there have been many expressions of interest.

Currently the car has been homologated for the European Union, but certification should be easy, given the car's Ford base, for the main target markets of the US and Middle East.

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