Aznom Palladium all-terrain V8 sedan is completely mad

The wraps have come off the Aznom Palladium, a monstrous six-metre-long V8-powered Italian beast whose categorisation defies convention.

Part luxury sedan, part 4x4 off-road weapon with ute-based underpinnings thrown in for good measure, the hand-crafted Aznom Palladium promises to blend lavish luxury with extreme mud-slinging ability.

Sporting an unorthodox design with an illuminated grille, the 5960mm-long, 2.65-tonne behemoth is the brainchild of Aznom’s founder, Marcello Meregalli, who said he wanted to create a vehicle utilising “artisanal manufacturing techniques that are almost lost today” such as hand-crafted body panels and cabin upholstery.

The Aznom founder said former US president Barack Obama’s 2008 bulletproof Cadillac limo inspired him to create the Palladium, whose closest rivals would be high-end prestige vehicles like the Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUVs.

It’s not clear what price customers will pay for the Italian machine, but given that only 10 of them will be created, it will almost certainly be a case of: if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.

It is powered by a thunderous twin-turbo 5.7-litre V8 pumping out 522kW of power and 900Nm of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission sends power to the wheels, and there’s low-range gearing to tackle hardcore terrain.

The vehicle gets an “electronic auto-locking differential” that can switch between rear-wheel or 4x4 modes, and acceleration is rapid, taking just 4.5 seconds to reach 100km/h from standstill.

Top speed for the colossal Palladium is 210km/h.

Underneath its striking exterior, which includes an drawer-like slide-out boot in place or a traditional hinged lid, the Italian-designed and manufactured vehicle is understood to be based on a modified RAM 1500 platform – not unlike the upcoming Jeep Grand Wagoneer large luxury SUV.

This is evidenced in the cockpit, which features almost identical controls, instrument panel and large vertically aligned infotainment screen as the RAM 1500.

Aznom also produced the Atulux in 2018, a luxury sedan based on the RAM pick-up truck.

However, the use of high-end materials and a completely redesigned interior concept ensure the Palladium’s US pick-up truck DNA is well and truly altered.

Not only are the seats finished in high-quality custom Foglizzo leather upholstery with special patterning, the car’s headlining also gets the leather treatment, while timber and solid aluminium is used liberally throughout the cabin.

A handmade (and removable) gold and palladium clock can be fitted to the car and the rear couch-like seats feature a hidden pop-out fridge along with a top-spec Harman Kardon sound system and a pair of Microsoft Surface X Pro tablets to keep passengers entertained.

Aznom naturally offers a matching luggage set and even a bespoke umbrella from Francesco Maglia.

“Maniacal care of the details and extreme personalisation and customisations chosen together with the final client … so you can understand how we can only manufacture a very limited number of vehicles,” said Meregalli, pointing out that only 10 vehicles will be created.

The Aznom Palladium will target markets including China, the Middle East, Russia and the US.