Mansory takes the BMW XM to the next level

They really have outdone themselves, glazing what was already a positively egregious-looking motorcar with all sorts of blotchy forged carbon addenda. The result bears a resemblance to the haggard muzzled maw of an ill-tempered basset hound. At the rear too, running with the vertical exhaust inspiration of the standard XM, Mansory has cultivated the elegance of an ensnared wild boar.

This project does however bring to mind a curious question: that of where the sins of BMW end and those of Mansory begin. Is making ugly uglier actually a more forgivable crime than defiling elegant, carefully crafted sports and supercars? Perhaps. We’re not sure fans of the XM are going to be crying about how a once beautiful car has been ruined. It's possible Mansory has for the first time created a car exclusively for fans of the original.

Mansory describes its modifications as “an extraordinary aerodynamics programme”. It is extraordinary, we’ll give them that. There aren’t images of the inside, though Mansory says that interior changes are a “bespoke opportunity by request”. In other words, name your lesser-spotted species of choice and its hide shall glaze your seats.

Whatever happens, this is a car that – however shocking-looking it is to those with even a remotely refined automotive pallet – still fits the Mansory remit. Drive this thing and you will be noticed and quite possibly feared. There’s something for everyone, even those unfettered by the shackles of contemporary taste. Build it and they will come.