Andy Potts
Even in a recession, nothing succeeds like excess - and with seats upholstered in whale's penis leather, the 1.5 million-euro Dartz Combo exceeds all expectations of obscene consumption.
The old RussoBalt factory, which built the world's first armoured car in Riga for Tsar Nikolai II in 1908, is back in business - with the most expensive SUV in the world about to top its handcrafted fleet of prestige cars.
A complicated history saw RussoBalt production shift from Latvia to St. Petersburg, and the current Dartz Kombat has been developed by engineers in both cities, under the post-revolution Prombron name, since the rights to the RussoBalt brand were acquired by Moscow businessman Viktor Taknov.
Leonard Yankelovich, the man behind the car, does not drive himself. But his great-grandfather worked in the original RussoBalt plant, reportedly kitting out vehicles used by revolutionary leaders Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky, and he inherited a lifelong dream to build his own supercar.
And he was eager to tell how the idea grew in part from a careful scrutiny of 007.
"Our car is a real James Bond car - but it really works,Yankelovich said. "A lot of security tricks were developed with consultants from XX Century Wars Veterans Against Terror - they know what car security is all about, having been involved in military conflicts all around the world.
"We specially monitored all the Bond movies, and believe us - a lot of Q's tricks have made it into our car."
There's plenty of hi-spec luxury on hand, as well as sufficient shielding to fend off a rocket-powered grenade attack. How about diamonds on the dash, gold-plated window surrounds and tungsten exhaust pipes?
Then there's that notorious upholstery, claimed to be the softest available leather - unless, perhaps, an attractive female whale comes into view. All materials used in the car were deliberately chosen for being the most expensive available.
Recession or not, Yankelovich is confident that his car, which can take between six and 24 months from order to delivery, depending on spec, will find a market. "The luxury market never falls down,he said by e-mail.
"All these crises are bad for a huge number of people, but good for a small amount who make more and more money.
"Our car is unique, handcrafted, and because of this we can make fewer cars than there are rich people in the world - our market is endless."
Naturally coy about his target audience, Yankelovich said that they were "rich people who wanted a really exclusive old brand", while adding that tennis star Marat Safin had taken the chance to test drive an earlier Kombat model in Monaco earlier this year.
However, not everyone is convinced that the deal is all it's cracked up to be. Alexei Vaisman, who co-ordinates WWF Russia's campaign against hunting endangered species, suspected that whale's penis skin could not be used in this way.
"It would be too thin for upholstery, because a whale is a mammal,he said. "Besides, big whale hunting is banned ... a violation could get you six months in prison. Whale penis skin from a smaller species wouldn't cover more than a mobile phone."
However, Yankelovich insists that it's a real product - marketed by Yarwood Leather of Leeds, England - and the inspiration came from the upholstery on Aristotle Onassis' celebrated yacht "Christina O".
Not that this claim impressed Greenpeace, where a spokesman in Moscow said: "If they've come to that, what else can we say about human nature?"
The final model is set to be unveiled next May at the Monaco Luxury Marques festival, where Prince Albert II himself is expected to whip away the covers.
