Ten years ago, Sacha Baron Cohen’s satirical political comedy Dictator released as “the heroic tale of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to a country he was so oppressed.” In the film, Cohen plays Admiral General Aladeen, a dictator from a fictional country called the Wadiya Republic, who owns a somewhat controversial SUV built by Dartz. The automaker is now celebrating 10 years since the film’s release with a new special edition model.
The gold SUV you see in the gallery below goes by the rather lengthy Prombron The Dictator Aladeen Edition MMXXII name and the company plans to produce just 10 units. Initially, Dartz only assembled three units which were used for filming Dictator but now that luxury machine has finally come to the market. There are a few key differences between a movie SUV and one for the highway.
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The original Aladeen SUV was based on the Hummer H2 but its modern successor hides the bones of the Mercedes-Maybach GLS. The factory engine is under the hood – a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 – but it is no longer in factory form. After hardware and software changes from Dartz, the plant now produces 800 horsepower (588 kilowatts) and 738 pound-feet (1,000 Newton-meters) of torque, allowing the three-ton SUV to hit 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour). mark in just 3.8 seconds. The top speed is 174 mph (280 kph).
These numbers are impressive, but they’re not what’s most impressive about Prombron The Dictator Aladeen Edition MMXXII. Its unique body is perhaps more appealing as it shares zero components with the Maybach-branded SUV on which it is based. The edgy exterior is fully armored and features real gold plating instead of a gold-toned wrap. As standard, the vehicle can withstand high-speed 0.50 caliber armor-piercing rounds, while there is optional protection that can withstand grenades and mines. Not feeling safe enough? There is also an optional protective helmet and a bulletproof umbrella made of crocodile or python skin.
How about the interior? Dartz founder Leonard Yankelovich told Daily mail that “after a wave of protests we realized our mistake and made the decision not to use natural skin at all.” Yankelovich said that if there is enough customer demand, the company will build additional examples beyond its initial plan of 10 units. Each unit starts at around one million US dollars.
