Mercedes-Benz does not represent the most opulent in the world wheels, but for lovers of the new S-Class who crave for a touch of opulence, German tuning specialist Carlsson has just the ride for you: the Gold Trimmed Carlsson CS50 Versailles. but why gold trimmed and not the whole damn car? because the gold treatment you see on the exterior is the composition of 1,000 sheets of wafer-thin gold leafs – not mere gold finish – with 200 painstaking man-hours of application. this is the real deal we are talking about here. the gold leafs are place on suitable prepared surface, intentionally in an irregular pattern known as Roman Association to arrive to what you see here.
a further 278 interior components including buttons, knobs, air vents, and speaker grilles, plus 30 exterior components ranging from the radiator grille to the door handles, are also given the appropriate gold finish, while gold leaf treatment can also be found in cabin on the frame, panels and trim inserts. all told, a total of 985 gold were used in the interior alone, accounting for over 100 man-hours of work and value at some 12,000 euros (about US$16,520). other details include Carlsson Signature Line’s Nappa leather in dark brown and champagne hues, gold Carlsson logos on the leather, exclusive 1/12 EVO Versailles Edition 20-inch mirror-finish wheels shod with tires specially developed by Vredestein for the S-Class, and a special aero kit comprising of new front bumper with RS spoiler lip, side skirts, uniquely shaped exhaust outlets and bootlid spoiler.
there is no talk about engine enhancement, so we are assuming all things under the hood remains as is. the thing about this limited edition ride is, only 25 will be produced with 10 already allocated to existing Carlsson clients and Carlsson makes no effort to hide the fact that this partially golden ride is “specifically developed for China’s ultra-wealthy ‘Taipan’ clients; the new ‘royalty’ of the Middle Kingdom.” makes perfect sense, cos’ with a price tag starting at €268,000 (about US$370,000) and running up to €395,000 (around US$545,000), the Gold Trimmed Carlsson CS50 Versailles is certainly not for everyone and definitely not the ride anyone would be driving anywhere near construction sites or bad neighborhood. if you know what i mean…
this golden example will be strutting its stuff at the Geneva Motor Show this week, but if you aren’t lucky enough to be there to see it in person, we have a gallery of images just for you, which you can find below.
