Maybach 62 S

A few days ago I wrote a little article about the Maybach 57 S and I made a promise to post about the Maybach 62 S as well, so here it is!

Compared to its little brother (well, little... if you can call 5.7 meters little) the Maybach 62 S is even longer, just over six metres. The version presented here today is the S (for Special) version, which is the sportier model of the two.

Performance wise, this machine has 612bhp, providing for a fast sprint of 5.2 seconds from naught to a hundred. The top speed is limited to 250km/h. And since we're throwing figures around, the Maybach 62 S has lots and lots of torque: electronically limited to 1000Nm - about just enough to move the earth when you put your foot down.

Why you'd want a sportier Maybach is beyond me, to be honest, since these cars may be fast but they'll never feel sporty in the way of a real sports car. On the other hand, you'll arrive at your destination in pure comfort and style (just look at those interior pictures!).

In the Maybach 62 S, you'll also arrive very well rested, since the 62 series is mainly meant for a passenger who employs his/her own chauffeur, whereas in the 57 series you're meant to take the wheel for yourself. As for the chauffeur, well, if I were one, I would not be complaining driving this +700.000€ machine around all day!

Maybach 57 S

When Vickers decided to sell the Rolls-Royce/Bentley marque, DaimlerChrysler AG (now Daimler AG)  wanted to buy the company but they failed to seal the deal. Later on, BMW acquired Rolls-Royce/Bentley, so they decided to introduce the Maybach brand as a direct competitor to the Bentley Arnage and the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

The Maybach brand dates back to 1909, and was a brand of ultra-luxury cars back then as it still is now. The first new Maybach models is the car I'd like to present today: the Maybach 57, it's name referring to the length of the car (5.73 meters). The version shown in the pictures is the S version - the S stands for Special, a sportier model presented at the autoshow in New York in 2002.

A bigger, longer version also exists: the Maybach 62, which is over 6 meters long, and for which there also exists an S version. I'll be posting more on the 62 and the 62 S later on.

Besides being ultra-luxurious, the Maybach models also are ultra-expensive, unfortunately. This proved to become a big problem for Daimler: Maybachs are way more expensive than their competitors, and you'd be hard pressed not to call a Bentley or a Rolls-Royce ultra-luxurious. From 2002 until the present, only 3000 Maybachs have been sold,  a disappointing result in the eyes of Daimler, and it was decided to cease production in 2013.

For the time-being, you can still buy one. Should you lack the required funds (the Maybach 57 costs about 550.000 euros), or if production is halted by the time you read this, you can still look at these pictures and dream.

... 5.73 metres of Special sportiness ...

... want to bathe in luxury? ...