One of the odder automotive creations just unveiled at the Top Marques Monaco show was the Russian-made Dartz Kombat T98, a sort of tank masquerading as a luxury SUV. The Hummer lookalike which features heavy steel plated doors and 7cm thick windows is impervious to AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades – you name it. The monster is powered by an 8.1 litre Vortec V8, capable of 180 km/h even with all that extra weight, and it’s priced at €150,000. Hey, paranoid VIPs can easily afford it.
Dartz actually has quite a history in the armored car realm; born of RussoBaltique, the world oldest armored car brand founded a century ago in Latvia where they produced the Russo Balt in the run-up to World War I. The company still makes military vehicles (as well as armored protection for banks), though this is their first foray into the luxury market. Apparently they’re doing something right; his royal nerdiness Prince Albert himself was spotted checking out a Kombat at Top Marques.
