Russian Car Wows Paris Show But Don't Think Of Buying It
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PARIS, October 2, 2002-David Gauthier-Villars writing for Dow Jones reported - Defying conventional wisdom, one of the nicest cars on display at the Paris Motor Show was designed in Russia.
Defying commercial logic, it's not up for sale.
Crafted by Moscow-based car tuning and styling company A:Level, the Volga V12 is a one-off model which was sold a year ago for an undisclosed price to a wealthy Russian customer, described as Mr D.Z.
"We make cars after the nature of their owners," A:Level business director Elena Polozova said at the car show this week. "Each customer knows that no-one else will have a car like his."
Polozova said the company borrowed the Volga V12 from its owner, to use it as a promotional tool during the car show.
Built on the basis of a Bayerische Motoren Werke AG's 850 sports coupe, the Volga V12 was designed after the legendary, 1957 Soviet Volga GAZ-21.
The lines of the mid-sized Volga GAZ-21, as well as its famous shark-jaws grille, were expanded into a glossy, black and chrome body that belies the chassis of the much larger and longer BMW 850.
At the extreme opposite of volume auto makers, which can crank out a car in less than 15 hours, it took A:Level 17 months to make its first car.
While the price-tag of the Russian wonder is being kept secret, the local press has said it is covered by Russian insurer Neftepolis for $1 million.
A spokeswoman at Neftepolis declined to comment.
A:Level's second one-off model, which will use Mercedes elements, could be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March, Polozova said.
A third model, probably also using Mercedes components, would have a design inspired from Volkswagen AG's latest Bugatti Veyron, she said.