A year after their world premiere in New York the two derivatives of DaimlerChrysler’s challenge to Rolls Royce and Bentley, the Maybach 57 and Maybach 62, have arrived in South Africa.
The model designations denote the respective lengths of these super-luxury vehicles: 6.17 metres in the case of the Maybach 62, and 5.73 metres in the case of the Maybach 57.
With production for the world market limited to 1000 units per year, and prices starting at R 3,4 million, we’re unlikely to be held up by convoys of yuppies galloping their Maybachs down the highway, even when parliament’s in recess.
The Maybach, named after the legendary German marque of the 1920s and 1930s, was developed by Mercedes Benz to compete in markets even more exclusive than those they normally contest. Those with the wherewithal to buy into this elite club can expect treatment second to none.
A Maybach Personal Liaison Manager (PLM) acts as a “butler”, on call for customers at any hour of the day or night, 365 days a year, to handle everything from the original query about the car right through to managing the servicing requirements for the customer’s vehicle. He also arranges the delivery of the customer’s Maybach – as per his choice – either in South Africa, or at the specialised Maybach Centre of Excellence in Stuttgart, Germany.
Apart from the usual little luxuries we take for granted, standard fittings include two individual air-conditioning systems and fully reclining seats in the rear – Maybach buyers will probably have chauffeurs to do the work up front, remember.
There’s also a DVD player, a TV receiver, a refrigerated compartment, a cordless telephone with two handsets, and a 600 Watt sound system with Dolby Surround Sound at every seat. Combined with the standard choices a jaw-dropping range of optional equipment gives Maybach customers over two million ways of equipping their cars to their personal taste. Buyers can browse around before selecting from, for example, custom-made luggage sets, champagne goblets of sterling silver, cigar humidors, golf bags, floor mats of the finest velour and fluffy travel rugs.
Despite all these precious little frills the Maybach is not a wimp of a car. Its 5,5 litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine delivers more power and torque – 405 kW and 900 Nm – than any other standard-production saloon car engine in the world, and the dash to 100 km/hr takes just over five seconds, despite the cars almost three tonne mass. Top speed is limited to 250 km/hr.