2005 Maybach Exelero Concept

2005 Maybach Exelero Concept

In the automotive world, industry giants often use specialty vehicles to promote their products, a practice that has

Fulda Reifenwerk, a German tire manufacturer, has unveiled a one-off 700-horsepower Maybach Exelero Coupe. (Photo: Fulda Reifenwerk)

resulted in some of the most glamorous and far-out vehicles on earth. Fulda Reifenwerk, a German tire manufacturer and member of the Goodyear tire conglomerate, may have just topped the world's best, with the one-off 700-horsepower Maybach Exelero Coupe highlighting the unveiling of its new Exelero super-wide high- performance tire.

Over the past 100 years, Fulda has commissioned several specialty vehicles to demonstrate and model its tires' performance abilities. In 1997, a special 650-horsepower Gembella-tuned '993' Porsche 911 was produced in honour of its Extremo tires, and in 2000, Fulda also commissioned a one-of-a-kind art-truck with a uniquely shaped trailer.

The longest relationship, however, dating back nearly seventy years, is between Maybach and Fulda. In the 1930s, the world held its breath, as contestants such as Auto Union

Over the past 100 years, Fulda has commissioned several specialty vehicles to demonstrate and model its tires' performance abilities. (Photo: Fulda Reifenwerk)

(now Audi), Mercedes-Benz and Maybach attempted to break world speed records on Germany's mirror-smooth autobahns. Maybach made the car, Fulda made the high-speed tires.

The Exelero is the modern-day equivalent to these demons of speed, carrying the same rich history, which can be traced back to Maybach's track star, the one-of-a-kind SW 38. This car, like many other speed-challenge racers, was commissioned by an outside source, ironically enough, Fulda in its early years. Used to test the high-speed capabilities of its tires, the beautiful, streamlined two-door had one main goal - breaking the 200 km/h speed 'barrier'.