New Latvian super-SUV from Dartz

This is Latvian armoured car constructor Dartz’s latest offering – the Nagel Dakkar. And with the arrival of its new all-singing, all-dancing off-roader, the firm believes they’ve created a new class of vehicle, BNUDS.

The company is best known for crafting seriously chunky armoured cars for the rich and most wanted, but has now teamed up with Saxon Automobile Manufacture to try and strong-arm the likes of Porsche’s Cayenne and Audi’s Q7 out of the market.

On Bing: see images of other Dartz vehicles

First Drive: Porsche Cayenne GTS (2012 onwards)

We’re used to the terms SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) and MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle), but BNUDS is a new one on us. Apparently, the acronym stands for:

Bespoke – the Nagel Dakkar will be made to your exact specification.

Noble – the car will be sold under the Dartz badge. The manufacturer has been in existence since 1908.

Urban – the manufacturer claims the vehicle will be ideal for the tight city streets of Monaco and the vast expansive highways of LA.

Desert – the Nagel Dakkar is built on a tubular space frame chassis designed by Saxon Automobile Manufacture, a company famous for its rallying exploits, hence the Dakkar tag.

Safety – that tubular frame is crafted from lightweight and super strong titanium, “an unseen achievement for ‘civil’ cars,” according to the company.

Unlike its more outlandish creations, the Dartz-SAM partnership has some realistic goals for the Nagel Dakkar.

Power comes from a 650hp, tuned version of AMG’s 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8, with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission sending drive to all four wheels.

The car is still very much under development, but Dartz is mooting a starting price of around $300,000 – roughly £193,000 – and is aiming to sell 10 units in the first year. With an options list as wild as your imagination, expect costs to head north pretty rapidly from there.

If you think Dartz and the Nagel Dakkar sound a bit on the quirky side, check back later for MSN Cars’ gallery review of one of the firm’s most, er, unique vehicles on offer…

First Drive Review: BMW 7 Series facelift in Russia (2012 onwards)

On Bing: see images of other Dartz vehicles

First Drive: Porsche Cayenne GTS (2012 onwards)