Lotus' Zany Former CEO is Now Making Coachbuilt G-Wagens

This is the Ares Design X-Raid, based on the Mercedes-AMG G63 and it’s Dany Bahar latest creation.

If the name Dany Bahar doesn’t sound familiar to you, he’s the ambitious former Lotus CEO that introduced five new concept vehicles for the British automaker at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. Those five concepts were supposed to head to production over the following six years, but none of them came to fruition as Bahar was dismissed from the company in 2012 along with allegations of extravagant spending. The breakup between Lotus and Bahar wasn’t pretty, with the company suing the former CEO and Bahar suing Lotus back.

Now, Bahar is at the helm of a coachbuilding company based in Italy called Ares, and this is the company’s first creation.

SEE ALSO: Lotus Suing Dany Bahar Over Extravagant Spending

Starting with a Mercedes-AMG G63, Ares gives it a new carbon fiber and aluminum body, giving it a more stylish design that resembles Mercedes-Benz’s modern design language. In our opinion, this thing is a pretty blatant copy of the Mercedes-Benz Ener G-Force concept, but we digress. Thanks to the new body, Ares says the X-Raid is 440 pounds (200 kilograms) lighter than the G63, while the 5.5-liter V8 engine under the hood has been tuned to 760 horsepower. Top speed is rated at 155 mph (250 km/h).

There’s plenty of interior upgrades as well, with the use of high-end materials such as Nappa leather and carbon fiber. The company says it will start producing vehicles in a new 18,000-square-meter facility in Modena, Italy and is also working on a coupe version of the Bentley Mulsanne. Autocar reports pricing for the Ares X-Raid will cost upwards of £750,000 ($984,450 USD).

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