Carlsson C25: For When Way Overpowered Just Isn’t Enough

Carlsson Autotechnik is one of the smaller names in German performance tuning, and with ambitions such as these, it’s easy to see why. The German company used the Geneva auto show to unveil its C25, a nearly $600,000 creation whose exclusivity it will maintain by selling only one in each of 25 countries. Based on the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, the C25 gets its twin-turbo V-12 cranked up to 753 horsepower and 848 lb-ft of torque. Given that the SL is already traction-limited at any speed less than 120 mph and anything other than a perfectly straight line, there’s no real improvement to low-speed acceleration, with the C25 needing 3.7 seconds to get to 60. Top speed is 219 mph (a roll cage, six-point belts, and a fire extinguisher are included in the $50,000 Clubsport interior option). Carlsson offers the C25 in any combination of colors a customer can dream up, and the model displayed in Geneva demonstrated a surprising level of originality and restraint. The orange driver stripe that runs the length of the car also passes through the brown Ultrasuede interior and is picked up by the driver’s seat. Very cool touch. If you’re thinking you want to be the only one in your country with a C25, be aware that the options list is

expensive—and bizarre. Having your personal logo embossed in the headrests will cost $2700. The same on the leather dash is only $1300. (I don’t have a personal logo yet, but I’m picturing a jug of apple cider bouncing on a trampoline while I lurk beneath with a long pike—the fish, I mean, not the sharp stick. And the fish is holding a shotgun. The microphone, I mean, not the weapon. And I’m singing Phil Collins “I Wish it Would Rain Down.”) Forged 20-inch wheels in your own design—might I suggest acrylic reproductions of sprinkled doughnuts?—are a relative steal, at just $13,000. A matching Smart Fortwo is just over $60,000, or about 50 percent higher than an Aston owner has to pay for a Cygnet . Considering that the C25 costs about 100 percent more than a DBS, that seems reasonable. If you want to do the world’s most expensive impression of a mid-90s ricer, under-body lighting is a mere $1700. Matte paint is $5550, while a full, 24-karat-gold exterior is gonna ding you for about $213,000. (It is unclear if there is a commensurate premium on the Smart dinghy.) Related posts: 2009 Carlsson Aigner CK55 RS Rascasse – Auto Shows

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Carlsson C25: For When Way Overpowered Just Isn’t Enough