By: Martin Bensley
Los Angeles, California - The pumped-up Youabian Puma roadster SUV, dubbed “one of the ugliest cars of all time” by a German car magazine, has gone on sale priced at $895 000 (R14.8 million).
Germany's Auto Motor und Sport car gazette said the prototype Puma was being listed on the luxury online marketplace James Edition with just 848 kilometres on its odometer. The Stockholm-based website also sells private jets and luxury homes.
With its sweeping curves and monster truck tyres, the one-off Puma looks like a drophead supercar on steroids. Power comes from a GM-derived seven-litre LS7 V8 rated at more than 370kW.
“The only good thing to be said about the Puma is that it stands out in a crowd,” commented the German magazine. The buyer would have to pay an “astronomical” asking price and “be able to stand the sight of this whale-like monstrosity”.
The sports SUV turned heads at the 2013 Los Angeles car show and was originally due to go into limited production.
The designer, Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Kami Youabian, said the Puma was aimed at super-wealthy petrolheads who were bored with conventional exotic sportscars.
“The Puma's goal is not to be the fastest in the world, but to be the most unique, just like its owners,” Youabian explained.
DPA
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