When a state-of-the-art sound system, a tuning upgrade and a massive rear spoiler just aren't enough, one Russian company has come up with the novel idea of offering its latest car with seats made from whale-penis leather. Someone get Greenpeace on the phone!

The Prombron Monaco Red Diamond Edition armoured vehicle (not a mouthful then) comes from Dartz, a company that has a rich history of producing armoured cars for Russian leaders (Lenin and Trotsky, to name a few), so it'll come as no surprise that this bulky 4x4 looks and sounds like it would come off better in a head-on collision with a tank. Though there remains the small issue of the marque’s choice of cover for the Prombron’s seating…

While we're not going to get all immature and schoolboyish about this (much), we'd love to find out which member of Dartz's design team felt the addition of seats made from whale wanger would be appealing to customers. Apparently, it's because Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis used whale penis leather for the bar stool covers on his yacht, Christina O – so it's seen as the ultimate form of luxury, or something like that.

But while this may have been all tickety-boo in the 1950s and '60s, we're not entirely sure the authorities would be pleased to hear about it in this day and age.

Though the seating is proving an enormous distraction, there are numerous other highlights that come with this extravagant Russian armoured truck. These include gold-plated bulletproof windows, Kevlar coating, a tungsten exhaust, and white gold diamond- and ruby-encrusted badges – each one headline-grabbing material in its own right, if only Dartz hadn’t gone and thrown in those seats…

Sadly, there are currently no pictures available of the Prombron’s stunning interior, so you’ll just have to use your imaginations for now (although we’d prefer not to). But while we’re on the subject, here are some other motors made from unusual subtances.

Sources: Stuff.co.nz, Jalopnik, Dartz