Cadillac’s humongous Escalade ESV offers as much space and luxury as most of us would ever need, but what happens when you simply have to have more of both? When you need nine chairs and room for a fridge or two, say, plus a couple of giant TVs, even the new generation of luxury minivans like the Lexus LM won’t cut it. But UK-based Clive Sutton’s VIP-Class Mercedes Sprinter might.
Spending time strapped into the back of what is at a base level a tarted up panel van might not chime with your idea of luxury living, even if the jaw-dropping $228k plus taxes (£180k plus VAT) price does. That’s deep into Bentley Flying spur territory, though of course you’d need two of those to cart the same number of bodies around that Sutton’s VIP can shift.
And besides, this is not the same battered van that your local parcel courier hacks about in. You can figure yours in various ways, even specifying a washroom and toilet, or fitting the rear out as a giant walk-in wardrobe. But Sutton’s demo van is kitted out with reclining, leather-clad chairs, twin 4K, 40-inch TVs, a Sony Playstation, a pair of fridges and some natty blinds and privacy glass to keep prying eyes and the sun glare away.
Related: Clive Sutton’s Ford Mustang Mach 1 767 Edition Has A 3.0-Liter Supercharger
The big difference between the VIP Sprinter and posh minivans is, of course, the huge amount of headroom. There’s over 2 m (78 inches) of the stuff, meaning passengers can actually move around the cabin (seatbelt laws permitting), and do it without having to stoop. Things are slightly less luxurious up front, but the driver and front passenger still get to enjoy leather on the seats and dashboard.
Sadly, given that Clive Sutton is known for selling and tuning tire-smoking American performance cars to Brits, there’s no mention of an AMG-style engine upgrade, but it’s not like it needs one. Everyone knows a Mercedes Sprinter is pretty much the fastest thing on the road when the driver wants it to be.
