Photo: Carisma Auto Design
When it comes to luxury automobiles, we can all agree that most vehicles stand out among the more practical means of transportation. Be it a Rolls-Royce or a range-topping Mercedes-Benz, such a car will always gather a lot of attention under normal circumstances. And while that's not always the case, these type of vehicles are also purchased for their flamboyant looks.
However, there is also demand for luxurious cars with a lesser degree of "hey, look at me" attached to them. Vehicles that provide the ultimate interior features in terms of luxury and technology, but come with a plain-looking exterior body. One that could be easily described as dull even... Such automobiles, mostly popular among government, business officials, sports personalities and celebrities, are built by UK's Carisma Auto Design as part of their "discreet vehicle transportation" program, and the Mercedes-Benz Viano V1 is the company's latest project.
Yes, it's no typo or mistake. We're talking about a bespoke luxury van that looks like a... van. Basically an office on wheels, the V1 comes with a customizable interior of the highest standards, while sporting the same factory shell that can fool even the most alert paparazzi. And it's not just a glorified van! In fact, that's what makes it even more interesting for us in a world filled with shiny and imposing vehicles. The aforementioned highest standards are as high as they can get, and, as Carisma Auto Design's sales and marketing director Clive Drake explains, there's no compromise when it comes to fitting a people carrier with a Rolls-Royce-like interior.
"The appeal is that customers will get 'Rolls-Royce' standards and luxury, 100% hand built in the UK – without the chutzpah of a Rolls-Royce. We use the finest leather sourced from the same tanneries as does Rolls-Royce and Bentley. We call it 'discreet vehicle transportation'. It appeals to celebrities and senior company executives alike – especially for mobile office applications," Drake told us, adding that the company can also provide armored cars to those concerned about safety.
"We have a partnership with an armoring company and therefore can offer armoring as part of the package of value added items for politicians. Many celebrities, and we have supplied a number of Premier League footballers, dislike the intrusion into their family/leisure time. They like the discreet luxury our vehicles provide along with a 'plain' exterior that will keep their family shielded from the paparazzi. It is one thing turning up on one’s own for a premier event in a Bentley – quite another when out with family and children to have cameras directed through car windows taking pictures that are generally viewed as intrusive," he added.
While Carisma Auto Designs doesn't have the 100-year-old tradition that recommends mass-production luxury automakers, the British company already has an established career in classic car restoration, and the principles have been successfully transferred to the current business field, where no vehicles are alike. "The renovation of classic vehicles are usually undertaken with meticulous care and attention. These principles are applied to the design and build of a Carisma conversion," Drake claims. In fact, he told us that Carisma still takes orders for custom interiors for any kind of car as long as they're brand new. This mean that any of the features found on their website can enhance a saloon or an SUV as well.
When asked what makes Carisma Auto Design a ground breaking company in this niche, Drake replied that the Essex-headquartered tuning company "it's 100% bespoke to a client’s requirements. The client can have more or less what he or she wants – subject to the interior cubic capacity of the vehicle. The choice of 400 different leathers, of different colors, of different grains and textures, plus 50 different types of wood and 50 different types of carpets create endless possibilities for a client to choose EXACTLY what they wish to buy – and for the specific application."
As we already said when we discovered the Viano V1, companies as Carima Auto Design make the automotive world go round in a very special way and it provides further proof that luxury doesn't have to come hand in hand with insolence. We don't know about you, but we're very anxious about Carisma's future projects. And from what we understand they're about to bring something new to the market very soon...
Yes, it's no typo or mistake. We're talking about a bespoke luxury van that looks like a... van. Basically an office on wheels, the V1 comes with a customizable interior of the highest standards, while sporting the same factory shell that can fool even the most alert paparazzi. And it's not just a glorified van! In fact, that's what makes it even more interesting for us in a world filled with shiny and imposing vehicles. The aforementioned highest standards are as high as they can get, and, as Carisma Auto Design's sales and marketing director Clive Drake explains, there's no compromise when it comes to fitting a people carrier with a Rolls-Royce-like interior.
"The appeal is that customers will get 'Rolls-Royce' standards and luxury, 100% hand built in the UK – without the chutzpah of a Rolls-Royce. We use the finest leather sourced from the same tanneries as does Rolls-Royce and Bentley. We call it 'discreet vehicle transportation'. It appeals to celebrities and senior company executives alike – especially for mobile office applications," Drake told us, adding that the company can also provide armored cars to those concerned about safety.
"We have a partnership with an armoring company and therefore can offer armoring as part of the package of value added items for politicians. Many celebrities, and we have supplied a number of Premier League footballers, dislike the intrusion into their family/leisure time. They like the discreet luxury our vehicles provide along with a 'plain' exterior that will keep their family shielded from the paparazzi. It is one thing turning up on one’s own for a premier event in a Bentley – quite another when out with family and children to have cameras directed through car windows taking pictures that are generally viewed as intrusive," he added.
While Carisma Auto Designs doesn't have the 100-year-old tradition that recommends mass-production luxury automakers, the British company already has an established career in classic car restoration, and the principles have been successfully transferred to the current business field, where no vehicles are alike. "The renovation of classic vehicles are usually undertaken with meticulous care and attention. These principles are applied to the design and build of a Carisma conversion," Drake claims. In fact, he told us that Carisma still takes orders for custom interiors for any kind of car as long as they're brand new. This mean that any of the features found on their website can enhance a saloon or an SUV as well.
When asked what makes Carisma Auto Design a ground breaking company in this niche, Drake replied that the Essex-headquartered tuning company "it's 100% bespoke to a client’s requirements. The client can have more or less what he or she wants – subject to the interior cubic capacity of the vehicle. The choice of 400 different leathers, of different colors, of different grains and textures, plus 50 different types of wood and 50 different types of carpets create endless possibilities for a client to choose EXACTLY what they wish to buy – and for the specific application."
As we already said when we discovered the Viano V1, companies as Carima Auto Design make the automotive world go round in a very special way and it provides further proof that luxury doesn't have to come hand in hand with insolence. We don't know about you, but we're very anxious about Carisma's future projects. And from what we understand they're about to bring something new to the market very soon...
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