German tuning specialist Carlsson is giving a new and far more literal meaning to “gold” trimmed cars with its new limited production CS50 Versailles Edition based on the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Unlike the saying, everything that shines on this car is actual gold –this isn’t a ride to drive in a bad neighborhood…
The name of the car is derived from France’s King Louis XIV (1638-1715), who was also known as Louis the Great (Louis le Grand) and the Sun King (le Roi-Soleil), and his lavish Palace of Versailles.
Carlsson has no problem admitting that the CS50 Versailles was “specifically developed for China’s ultra-wealthy ‘Taipan’ clients; the new ‘royalty’ of the Middle Kingdom”, stating that “more than 10 of these 25 limited edition cars have already been allocated to existing Carlsson clients, even before its official unveiling”.
If you must know, it’s priced between €268,000 and €395000 (equal to US$370,100- US$545,500), depending on the S-Class version and the options chosen.
The body panels of the Versailles Edition take more than 200 man-hours to complete for the application of 1,000 (!) sheets of wafer-thin gold leafs sized 80mm x 80mm. A further 278 interior and 30 exterior components receive a gold finish, while more than 100 man-hours are spent to apply €12,000 (US$16,500) worth of 985 gold on the interior.
Other extras include the 20-inch wheels shod in 245/40ZR20 tires on the front and 285/35ZR20 on the rear axle.
Carlsson will debut the car for the first time in front of the public at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show.
By John Halas
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