Nestled in the buzzing streets of west London, Knightsbridge has long been considered a playground for the rich and famous.
And every summer Arab playboys speed around its polished streets in garish super cars worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
But
one Russian woman has given the young men a run for their money - by
parking her crystal-encrusted Mercedes outside an exclusive hotel for
the world to see.
At £25,000 many would consider the Mercedes CLS 350 an extravagance in itself.
But Daria Radionova made her 2011 model even more luxurious, by covering it entirely in Swarovski crystals.
'I wanted to have something unique and do something special,' the 21-year-old business student said.
'The people who did it came over from Russia and worked for 12 hours a day for two months on the car.
'I am really happy with it and I am looking forward to driving it around
'It has only just been finished and everywhere I go people stop to have a look at it.
'It gets lots of attention from people walking by and in cars. Sometimes I think they might crash.
'Everyone is taking pictures of it. When I sell the car I will give the money to charity.'
Daria,
who shares her privileged adventures on Instagram, uploaded a
photograph of the finished product to the photo and video sharing
website accompanied with the hashtags: '#crystal 'crystalcar
#knightsbridge #harrods and im not an #arab guy (sic)'.
Parking outside the Levin Hotel on Basil Street near Harrods today, the car drew in crowds of admiring onlookers.
