When it comes to turning the dial up on extravagance, these diamond encrusted cars go all the way to 11. From an Audi A5 bedazzled in Swarovski crystals to a Rolls Royce covered in over a million gems to a Lexus with a chandelier, here are 5 pimped-out luxury vehicles that shimmer and sparkle on the showroom floor.
Mercedes-Benz SL600 In Swarovski Crystals
Studded with over 300,000 Swarovski crystals, this Mercedes-Benz SL6000 convertible dazzled onlookers at its unveiling at the Tokoyo Auto Salon in 2010. Said to cost a whopping $48 million, the modifications were done by custom car company, Garson/D.A.D to highlight the company’s unique ability to transform an ordinary car into a stunning head-turner.
That said, the car’s ownership had been linked to Prince A-Waleed of Saudi Arabia, who was rumoured to be charging people $1,000USD just to touch it. The urban legend however was recently put to rest by an official statement released by the Prince’s investment firm, Kingdom Holdings. “The Private office of Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal would like to state officially that HRH Prince Alwaleed does not, and never has, owned or had any association with a ‘diamond-encrusted Mercedes-Benz’” says the Kingdom Holdings release.
Iced Audi A5
Inspired by the above diamond encrusted Mercedes, Russian turner, Shampa, decided to create their own diamond encrusted vehicle and in 2011, rolled out a white Audi A5 covered with 450,000 Swarovski crystals at a tuning exhibition in Moscow.
The customization of the Audi A5 apparently took 1,440 man hours to complete at the cost of $215,000. Check out the video that showcases it’s shimmering effect at night:
Pimped Out 1962 Rolls Royce
It seems the previous two extravagant cars mentioned have been one-uped by the latest incarnation of the crystal-covered luxury vehicle with this Roll Royce Silver Cloud II. Said to be covered in more than 1 million Swarovski crystals, the Roll Royce was displayed in 2012 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Munich before being auctioned to support the charity ‘Help in Motion’. Undoubtedly, whoever purchases this car would have no real need for a hire purchase finance.
Touted by many as being the world’s most luxurious car, the diamonds on the Rolls Royce are said to give the vehicle a beautiful shimmering rainbow effect.
Lexus Hybrid With Bling
When diamonds just don’t cut it, why not create a car with a chandelier? Well that is what was shown at the 2012 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association). This Lexus Hybrid CT200h has been pimped out with 35,000 Swarovski diamonds along the Lexus badge, windshield wipers, wheel spokes, exhaust and window trims, while the interior sported faux fox fur seats and a chandelier in replacement of the interior ceiling light.
Crystal Covered Cadillac
Revealed at the Qingdao International Auto Show in China in 2011, this Cadillac CTS Coupe is said to be covered with over 350,000 Swarovski crystals. According to the team that completed the customization, each crystal was mounted to the car using a special fixer said to be resistant to today’s powerful car washes. The whole job took 9 men over a week to finish.
