If you thought diamond-encrusted mobile phones were a needlessly extravagant fashion accessory, what about diamond-encrusted car tires? Yes, they do exist, courtesy of Dubai-based firm Z Tyre, and they're reportedly the most expensive car tires in the world.
Z Tyre says it created the ransom-worthy runners in order to "celebrate and recognize the true worth of its range of high performance tires." That, of course, is marketing speak for a publicity stunt, but the results are, nonetheless, unique.
The design combines a set of Z Tyre's own tires with "specially selected" diamond stones and 24-karat gold leaf. They were designed in Dubai, before being transported to Italy for diamond decoration by artisan jewellers. After that, the tires returned to Dubai where the gold leaf was applied by craftsmen who worked on Abu Dhabi's new presidential palace.
The set of four tires is said to have recently sold for US$600,000, which was enough to have it recognized by Guinness World Records. All of the profits went to the Zenises Foundation, which aims to improve access to education around the world.
Source: Z Tyre