The Car With The Whale Penis Interior

Yes, you read that right. While it’s only fair that we should open the article with this car’s most meme-worthy feature, there are plenty of other interesting things about the Dartz Prombron, a one-of-a-kind luxury vehicle you likely haven’t heard of. The Prombron is a car that, to put it mildly, does not know the meaning of subtle. An ultra-luxury armored vehicle, it takes all the elements you would expect to find in such a model and turns them up to 11: the tank-like silhouette, the ostentatious gold accents and encrusted gemstones, and of course, the exotic interior materials. In short, it’s made for people who think Mansory’s take on the Lamborghini Urus is much too understated.

Of the many Prombron variants Dartz has released over the years, one stands out for a feature that has made it newsworthy, and that model is the Black Snake. One might think the defining feature of the Black Snake would be of reptilian inspiration, such as a snakeskin interior, but Dartz’s choice of material is far more exotic (and controversial): one of the upholstery options for the car’s seats was, up until fairly recently, whale penis leather. Let’s explore this one-of-a-kind model, the other variants of the Prombron released over the years, and the curious history of this little-known company.

Meet The Dartz Prombron

(specs refer to the Black Snake edition)

While lowly VIPs are content with a “regular” luxury SUV, those who aspire to world domination will find their ideal car in the Dartz Prombron. Most versions of the Prombron are based on Mercedes-Benz’s G-Class platform, although there are some rarer variants based on a Hummer H2 chassis and drivetrain.

The Black Snake’s engine, a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8, is also sourced from AMG. Although we do have the numbers regarding power output and torque, the real-life performance of the actual car remains unclear; a 0-60 figure is available, but we do not know the car’s top speed, and given its sheer size and weight, it’s unlikely to be as high as one would expect from this engine. It’s clear that performance is not the goal with the Prombron: its ability to carry passengers in style (and, occasionally, deflect bullets) is the main selling point.

The Prombron has also made multiple appearances in the world of cinema and TV. Its cinematic debut arrived in 2012 with The Dictator, which stars Sacha Baron Cohen as Aladeen, the titular dictator of a fictional East African nation. Dartz supplied a fleet of custom gold-plated Prombrons, and 10 years later brought out a special “Gold Aladeen” edition to commemorate its role in the movie. The Prombron also made appearances in Die Hard 5, The November Man, The Interview (where it was depicted as a gift from Stalin to Kim Jong-Un), and the Netflix series House of Cards.

Design & Features: The Elephant Whale In The Room

The Prombron Black Snake is, like the rest of the Prombron range, all about aggressiveness, with squared-off lines and a look that blends the military and civilian worlds. The car is fully armored, with bulletproof windows and an optional blast-proof shield (which can allegedly stop rifle rounds at a 30-meter range, heavy artillery fire, and grenade or mine explosions). The Black Snake is said to use Soviet “kapsula” technology to protect its passengers, first used on Joseph Stalin’s armored car.

Of course, weird and wonderful luxury features abound in the Black Snake (and in its Prombron siblings). These include a safe that’s the right shape and size to store an AK47, and a smaller safe in which to store cigars. Every Prombron also comes equipped with three bottles of what is said to be the most expensive vodka in the world, produced by Russian company RussoBaltique.

The pièce de résistance is, of course, the whale penis leather interior that sparked both comical and outraged headlines around the world. One wonders why the team at Dartz landed on this particular choice of material; it’s possible they just wanted to up the shock factor with something no other car company had. Given the other upholstery options offered, this seems to be a fairly solid theory: python, alligator and stingray leather are all available to choose from on different editions. It looks like Dartz just wanted to go as exotic as possible, and pushed the boat out a little too far for the public’s liking.

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If you have some cash burning a hole in your pocket and suddenly think a car with a whale penis interior sounds like a good way to spend it, you will be disappointed. Dartz stopped offering this option for the Prombron’s interior after receiving complaints from a number of high-profile figures and organizations. The list includes WWF, Greenpeace, and Pamela Anderson, who has a long history of environmental and animal rights activism.

Much like all other statements coming from Dartz, the press release published by the company to announce its decision is downright bizarre. A mixture of grandiose declarations and odd syntax, it starts with the title “ARMORED CAR WITHOUT PENIS. LET’S SAVE THE WHALES.” Well, one thing they can be sure of is the point is definitely getting across.

The Black Snake’s Siblings

While the Black Snake is the version of the Dartz Prombron that made the headlines due to its curious choice of interior upholstery, Dartz has offered a very large lineup of Prombron variants over the years, all with various different aesthetic touches to suit different customers’ preferences. Other members of the Prombron family include the Monaco Red Diamond Edition, Black Dragon, Black Alligator, Iron Diamond CLV, Iron Xtal, Black Russian, Gold Russian, Gold Aladeen, and White Horse.

We’ve already mentioned the Gold Aladeen in passing: this edition was created for the 10th anniversary of the movie The Dictator, which featured several custom-made Prombrons. As expected, gold is the main visual focus of this car, with a shiny lavish coat and gold accents disseminated throughout the interior. The Iron Diamond CLV, on the other hand, is an updated version of the earlier Iron Diamond (first produced around 10 years ago). It shares a platform and drivetrain with the Lamborghini Urus, and incorporates carbon accents for a rugged, aggressive look.

For customers who are particularly picky (and deep-pocketed), the company is also willing to build custom special editions; the general idea is that no two Dartz cars should be the same. A quote Dartz sent to Top Gear a few years back sums up their philosophy: “As all we know [sic] no lady will come to a party in same dress as another.” A Dartz car isn’t just a means of transport: it’s a status symbol, a fashion accessory, and a way to display wealth and power in the loudest way possible.

A Brief History Of Dartz Motorz

A company called Dartz Motorz may sound like a product of the modern age, but in reality its history goes a lot further back; further back, in fact, than the history of the car itself. Dartz’s earliest ancestor was the Russo-Baltic Wagon Factory (abbreviated to RBVZ from its Russian name), which was founded in Riga in 1874. RBVZ initially built railway wagons, but started building motor vehicles shortly after the turn of the century. One of RBVZ’s shareholders was Antikol Gershin, great-grandfather of Dartz founder Leonard F Yankelovich.

The newly created automotive division was given a French name, Departement Automobile de Riga; this was later shortened to D.A.R, which ended up forming the basis of the Dartz name. The company expanded and opened factories in Russia (one in St Petersburg, the other in Moscow) as well as the original facilities in Latvia. Although the original RBVZ company had shut down by the mid-century period, two modern successors emerged in the early 2000s: the first resurrected the Russo-Balt name, unveiling a single concept car in 2006. The other was Dartz, which found its niche in the ultra-luxury sector and is still producing cars to this day.

Sources: Dartz Motorz, Top Gear, BBC News, IMDb