There have been some great emperors around the globe but the Scaldarsi Emperor I is certainly not one of them – although the 662kW 6.2-litre twin-turbo V12 does indeed rule.
Based on a Mercedes-Maybach S600 rinsed of its front grille, standard wheels and class, the Emperor I gets in addition to that square front jaw and aggressive front bar, several dollops of 24-carat gold and many lashings of alligator hide.

The price for all this grotesque beauty? US $1.5 million or AU $2m. Although perhaps we got that particular ‘g’ word wrong.
“Engraved with passion and designed with determination, the Emperor’s opulent beauty imposes a statement of grandeur of unequalled proportions,” Scaldarsi claims.

“The performance exhaust allows for a pitching roar that echoes through the road and focuses all eyes on the one and only,” the brand continues.

The Emperor I will be followed by the AMG S65-based Emperor II, the Bentley Bentayga-derived Emperor III, G-Wagen-poached Emperor IV and even the Emperor of all Emperors, Bugatti Chiron the fifth, all of which will try desperately hard to rule the road.