In an exclusive feature, Simon Wittenberg uncovers the fascinating story behind the maker of some of the world’s most eccentric, excessive and extremely expensive armoured vehicles.

“We all live in what we are doing – that’s why in every car is our soul.” – Leonard F. Yankelovich, Responsible For Everything at DARTZ.

DARTZ: an introduction
You may not have heard of DARTZ, but you may recognise their extravagant, angular-looking and stealth-like 4x4s from some of the films that they have starred in over the years.

Favoured by the likes of billionaires, CEOs, tsars, princes, sheikhs, movie stars and celebrities, this a vehicle manufacturer unlike no other, which has opulence at its heart and that truly ventures beyond the boundary of convention to excite and amaze.

Headquartered in Tallinn (Estonia), DARTZ is led by the flamboyant and very charismatic Leonard F. Yankelovich (above), who has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Pierce Brosnan, Prince Albert of Monaco and Dennis Rodman.

His job title is also not what you would see on a regular CV. He’s essentially the company’s founder, but his LinkedIn profile says ‘Responsible For Everything’ or ‘R.F.E’.

This is a man who not only has to steer the ship but also has to get involved in running many aspects of the business – it’s a relatively small team, after all.

Although the parent company, formally known as DARTZ GRUPA, is based in Estonia, other offices can be found in Prague (Czech Republic) and in Riga (Latvia), where DARTZ MOTORZ, a subsidiary of the Estonian corporation is based. The actual assembly of the cars is done in Latvia and the Czech Republic, with Leonard explaining that most of his time is split between Tallinn and Riga.

‘DARTZ’ is actually an abbreviation, and how the name of Leonard’s brand came to life, is an interesting tale that’s worth a mention. When the decision was made to build cars in Riga, the business activity was summarised on documentation in French (for some reason) as ‘Department Automobile Riga’.

He chose to adopt this very term that came about by chance and then added the words ‘Tank’, as this resembled what they made, and ‘Zavod’, what a factory is called in Russian.

The letter ‘Z’ could also be found in the names of the former businesses of RBVZ and BTAZ (which I will come on to a little later), so it had a more than legitimate reason for being included and still rounds off some of the other monikers used today by DARTZ.

A fascinating and rich 150-year history
DARTZ is a business that is built on a century and a half of history and is intertwined with one of the most famous names in aviation.

The company’s origins date as far back as 1869 when the Russo-Baltic Wagon Factory (or RBVZ in Russian) was founded to produce cars (as well as train carriages for the royal family) in Riga, Latvia’s capital, which was at the time, a major industrial centre of the Russian Empire.

In 1894, the majority of its shares were sold to investors in Riga and St. Petersburg, and one of the company’s shareholders in 1900 was Gershn Antikol, Leonard’s great-grandfather.

In 1912, the company hired none other than a young 22-year-old Igor Sikorsky as the chief engineer for RBVZ’s new aircraft division in St. Petersburg, and the group quickly produced a series of aeroplanes before the Russian Revolution in 1917 brought an end to production. Sikorsky is widely revered as the father of the modern helicopter, and the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, which he established in 1923, still carries his name.

Following the 1917 revolution, a second factory was opened in St. Petersburg, where they built armoured cars on chassis produced in Riga, and five years later, production was moved to Brone Tanko Avtormobilniy Zavod (BTAZ) in Moscow where they manufactured armoured vehicles under the Prombron’ badge (the word ‘Prombron’ supposedly stems from a historical Russian abbreviation meaning ‘armoured manufacturing’).

This plant was later evacuated to Kazan in 1941, leading to the establishment of the Kazan Aircraft Production Association. The Moscow site eventually became home to the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, a manufacturer of spacecraft and space-launch systems.

In May 1988, as capitalism was eyeing a return in the USSR during the reign of Mikhail Gorbachev, and after a 66-year absence of armoured vehicle manufacturing, Leonard Yankelovich relaunched production under the name ‘DARTZ’, retaining Prombron’ within its model names going forward.

Its first armoured vehicle was unveiled that same year. Called the RAF LABBE (main image), it used a Latvija, a Soviet minivan made by the Latvian RAF factory as a base, following an order by the Soviet Sberbank.

This was followed in 1992 by a bulletproof Mercedes G 240 4×4 for the Neftehimbank in Kazakhstan. The very first design projects between 1993 and 1998 were the Kermit green VW Froggy, essentially a Beetle with a removable hardtop and a 2.3-litre engine, and the Millennium Adventure Car (a yellow Mercedes-Benz SLK on a G-Class frame), which were both commissioned by American businessman Jim Rogers.

A Model Company
Today, there are only seven people, including Leonard, who make up the DARTZ management team, and when looking at the ‘who’s who’, one thing that immediately jumps out is that there’s no R&D department.

Instead, there’s what’s called a ‘Department of Opulence’, which is run by two former Victoria Secret models, yes, you read it right, going by the names of Viktoriya-Nikole (the ‘face’ of DARTZ) and Vikki Gondelmane.

They are largely responsible for styling interiors and for fulfilling the most extreme desires of buyers.

This could take the form of black diamonds and rubies on a white gold steering wheel badge or a car key dressed in alligator leather and shipped to the buyer in a flight recorder box.

Every demand seemingly has a solution, which recently led to Rolls-Royce’s famous Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet ornament (a lady leaning forward with outstretched arms) being re-interpreted for a well-known American rap artist into a sculpture which is a little more risqué. Let me leave the rest to your imagination…

DARTZ CARZ
Many claim that DARTZ pays great attention to detail in the design and production of their vehicles, but in their eyes, they are the ones who create it. This is a business that is in pursuit of perfection with a pragmatic edge, and they see themselves as artists rather than as a vehicle manufacturer in the strictest sense of the word.

Cars produced by DARTZ are known as ‘CARZ’, thanks to their liberal use of the letter ‘Z’, and there are currently three models on sale, although plenty have come before them, with the White Horse (for the Chinese market), the Black Dragon (described by DARTZ as a “business-Pullman saloon”, and the Black Russian (a car designed for Russian tycoons and oligarchs) being merely a few examples.

The first model in the existing line-up is the short-wheelbase Prombron Black Alligator, part of ‘the Helicopter Series’, which also counts the long-wheelbase Black Shark – both take their name from two Russian military choppers.

Launched in 2017, the Black Alligator is based on the 5.5-litre V8 Biturbo-powered Mercedes-Benz GLS 63 AMG, where customers get a Kevlar-coated titanium body if extra protection is needed, plus an alligator leather-covered steering wheel made with wild animals hunted down in the Mississippi by supplier Henry (not be confused with Caimans used for handbags).

Also part of the Helicopter Series is the €350,000 Prombron’ Black Stallion Type C, which came about after first being shown as the Black Stallion in a movie back in 2013.

One of two models launched in 2019 (the other is the Prombron’ Black Stallion Royal Landaulet 6×6 – the world’s first bulletproof six-wheeler), the letter ‘C’ stands for ‘Civilian’, to distinguish it from the variant used in a film, as that one supposedly didn’t have any headlights – a subtle difference.

Now gracing the streets of Prague, customers Eva Sassersen Hill and Sardor Varisov of the Czech Republic-based energy drinks company Euphoria Trade put in an order straight after seeing the Black Stallion in what remains an unnamed mystery action movie.

They also wanted DARTZ to use the same base as the movie version to build it (i.e. a Hummer H2 chassis), therefore diversifying away from the regular Mercedes-Benz G-Class and GLS models used by DARTZ to construct its vehicles.

Sitting on 22-inch rims, the Type C is powered by a twin-supercharged 4.0-litre V8 and a 48-volt hybrid superstructure EQ Boost from the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600, producing the equivalent of 558 hp, whilst the body is made from ballistic Kevlar covered with partly exposed carbon fibre.

As you can imagine, the interior is just as outlandish and, at the same time, rather garish. Dressed with soft Nappa leather (not Alcantara, as this is not a natural material), interior features include a wooden pilot-style steering wheel and centre console, which have been covered with both Mississippi alligator and stingray skin.

If that was insufficient to impress, the subwoofer is furnished with actual aircraft gauges, a subtle nod to the heritage of the business, and for those wishing to store their armoury, there’s a biometric safe for two handguns, with an additional safe for an AR-15 style rifle should you need one at hand.

One of the signature motifs found across the DARTZ model range that you can’t fail to notice, whether it’s on the bonnet, the boot lid, or on the fuel filler cap, is the black ‘Spirit of Bomber’ badge.

Featuring a skull dressed in an aviator hat, plus two rifles mimicking traditional crossbones and a plethora of bullets, the motif is in memory of Igor Sikorsky, who produced the world’s first four-engined bomber in Riga.

You will also find blackened skulls both on the wheel caps and the fuel cap cover of the Black Stallion just to make sure that his memory lives on (he died in 1972).

It’s been reported that only 20 Prombron’ Black Stallions will ever be built, and the second one has already been allocated to a Latvian digital strategy and web development company.

In fact, there are only three build slots this year (for one Royal Landaulet 6×6 and two other regular armoured vehicles such as a Black Stallion). This is because each car takes around three to twelve months to build, depending on the specification, and it also allows time for R&D by the Department of Opulence to fulfil any suitably bonkers and unique requests.

A 6×6 is actually in the offing for a high-profile and yet-to-be-named celebrity client, so one can only presume that this will be filling the awaiting slot – only time will tell.

The making of a movie star
DARTZ CARZ does look like something out of the movies, and ironically, they have actually appeared in several films, which is where you may recognise some of the creations of DARTZ.

In 2012, three golden Prombron’ Aladeen vehicles were built for Admiral General Haffaz Aladeen (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) and his security staff for the political satire comedy film, ‘The Dictator’ (hence the Wadiya numberplate on the press shots).

In fact, Viktoriya-Nikole from the DARTZ Department of Opulence was the Dictator Virgin, whilst Igor Ristolainen, their Test and Security Department head, was The Dictator driver-bodyguard in the movie.

Furthermore, DARTZ 6×6 Kombat MRAP armoured vehicles equally made an appearance the following year in “A Good Day to Die Hard” starring Bruce Willis, and The November Man in 2014.

So, what do we make of DARTZ?
DARTZ is a mind-blowing business, and we should be grateful for them gracing this planet, as they are one of the few companies out there that will turn some of the wildest and most far-fetched dreams and demands that people will ever have into a reality.

Clearly, its CARZ is not for everyone, and it takes a certain type of uber-wealthy individual to parade down the street in a vehicle that will be the subject of many glancing eyeballs, wide-open mouths and people scratching their heads to figure out what they had just seen.

In fact, Leonard doesn’t actually seem in the slightest bit concerned about going against the grain, challenging the norm and creating new art forms on wheels, but this is the beauty of what DARTZ does: picking up the baton where the regular realms of imagination and creativity of other car designers left off.

Now, where’s my chequebook?

The DARTZ Prombron’ Black Stallion

DARTZ – Where and How?

DARTZ is located at 2 Laeva Street, Tallinn, Estonia. For more information, visit www.dartz.black, and for purchase enquiries, please call Leonard Yankelovich on 00371 2652 2232, or Karel Kokes on 00371 2947 2595.

All photography courtesy of DARTZ GRUPA.

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