Xenatec Officially Introduces Maybach 57S Coupe, Priced Close to $1 Million

Remember Xenatec, the German coachbuilders who took the overblown Maybach 57 S and massaged it into a svelte looking two door coupe? We now have some pictures of the production model, including a first look at the interior.

Just 100 units of the Xenatec Coupe will be built, with the high asking price of €675,000 (US$923,198) before taxes. And that's even before you add taxes or options. It was designed by Fredrik Burchhardt, who created Maybach's retro-modern Excelero concept back in 2005.

Though the drivetrain remains the same with the four-door Maybach, the bodywork has been significantly reworked. New doors and side panels have been crafted, along with a lowered roofline with more steeply raked front and rear glass. The fenders and bumpers are also new. Another change is the rear track, which has been extended by 20 mm.

The cars will be hand built in Weinsberg, Germany by Karosserie Manufaktur Weinsberg to individual customer specifications. Xenatec enlisted the expertise of armored limousine builders ThyssenKrupp Drauz Nothelfer during the design and engineering stages of the Coupe's development, and worked closely with Maybach also (who no doubt provide the base cars).

The personalization options for the Xenatec Coupe are described as "endless". Most of the options available on the 57 S will be available to Coupe customers, including the full length panoramic glass roof. 21-inch wheels are also available, replacing the standard 21-inchers.

The only question now is, "Will people buy it?" Considering how buyers have clamored over other specialist cars, such as the Ferrari SA Aperta, the answer can only be, "Yes".

By Tristan Hankins

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Mercedes and Aston Martin Working Together to Save Maybach?

Mercedes-Benz finally appears to be getting its head straight in regards to the laughable Maybach brand. The Financial Times indicates that Mercedes is courting Aston Martin to help bring the Maybach name back from the brink; the plan is to allow the British automaker to both design and manufacture Benz's Bentley competitor.

All these murmurings involve a lot of back-and-forth; in this case, Aston would do Mercedes's Maybach work, while Mercedes could provide powertrain tech to the British marque (think smaller displacement engines). Apparently outsourcing the next Maybach's assembly and coachwork to Aston could be cheaper than if Mercedes did it on its own.

As for other claims that Mercedes could give the gift of 4WD chassis to the marque of Bond...well, let's hope that's not the case; no one wants to see the Lagonda SUV make it to production. Much like Jaguar pursuing an SUV (we already have Range Rovers), this just doesn't need to happen.

First Maybach 57S Cruisero Coupe by Xenatec Listed for Sale in Saudi Arabia

The very first example of the Xenatec Maybach 57S Coupe has been put up for sale by Saudi-Arabian-based luxury car dealer, AutoKingdom, which is one of two companies outside of Germany listed as an official dealer of the limited production model, the other being the ArmorTech Group from Russia.

The Maybach-endorsed coupe, which carries the 'Cruiserio' nametag, is priced by AutoKingdom at €715,000, or about US$943,000 at the current exchange rates, according to Jameslist. Previously, Xenatec had announced that the über-luxurious coupe will be offered at an ex-works price of €675,000 (US$890,000) excluding local taxes.

The German company plans to hand-build a total of 100 examples of the Maybach 57S Cruisero Coupe, which keeps the four-door limousine's 6.0-liter V12 engine with an output of 612-horsepower (603-bhp) and 1,000Nm or 737 lb-ft of torque. Xenatec claims the 5,768mm -long coupe can reach a top speed of 275 km/h or 171mph and return an average fuel consumption of 16.4 lt/100km or 14.2 mpg US.

Maybach Zeppelin: More Powerful, More Exclusive and More Expensive

What Maybach's parent company, Daimler -slash- Mercedes calls a new model that revives the spirit of the 1930's Maybach Zeppelin, is in fact a special edition version of the Maybach 57 S and the long-wheelbase version, the 62 S. To be officially revealed in Geneva, the Maybach Zeppelin will be produced in a limited run of just 100 units with prices (excluding tax) set at €406,000 ($526,500 US) for the Zepelin 57 and at €473,200 ($613,600 US) for the Zeppelin 62. In both cases, power is provided by a tweaked version of the firm's twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 which now delivers 640HP (+28 hp) and a peak torque of 1000 Nm or 737.6 lbs-ft.

Hallmark features of the Zepelin include a two-tone special paint finish, newly designed 20-inch wheels in a Chrome Shadow finish and streamlined exterior mirrors.

Inside, the range-topping Zepelin gets leather appointments in California beige leather and trim elements in piano lacquer finish. Also, the centre console in the front, the partition screen that is available as an option for the Maybach Zeppelin 62, plus the silver champagne flutes included as standard are all marked with the lettering "MAYBACH ZEPPELIN", while the door sill panels as well as the key ring are engraved with the word "ZEPPELIN".

For those that like to pay attention to details, of the most prominent interior features of Maybach's 'uber' luxurious sedan is a perfume distributor. The system's core component is an internally illuminated Plexiglass sphere on the rear center console, into which owners can insert a vial of their preferred fragrance. A regulator pump then directs a flow of air into the Plexiglass sphere, fanning the vial's perfume molecules into the vehicle interior. The perfume atomizer that is exclusive to the Zeppelin can be ordered for an extra €3,950 or around $5,100.

the odd design style of Paul Jaray, applied to a 1935 Maybach Streamliner coupe at the Paris Autoshow contrasted with the 1938 GAZ gl1

Above image from http://dieselpunks.blogspot.com/2010/06/perfect-streamline.html via: http://megamoto.tumblr.com/

Bottom photo was from Le Container I think.. not sure

Anyway, what a contrast of designs.. the Jaray at top was streamlined body, big cabin... opposite the GAZ below. Odd to have found these photos at about the same time.