A Luxury Home on Wheels?
This is the new Maybach 57S, a car that has the prestigious title of being Maybach's first sporty vehicle. Since the Fulda-commissioned Exelero,
it appears Maybach has a hankering for getting some of its customers from the lusciously appointed rear recliners into the driver's seat; a car for the discerning multi-billionaire who wishes to drive, rather than be driven (if such a breed exists).
The 57S also holds the title of the world's first sports limousine. Though based on the 'compact' short wheelbase Maybach platform, it still has a wheelbase that's large enough to nearly swallow a MINI Cooper whole. It's around 200 mm (nearly 8 inches) longer than most uber-luxury sedans, like the Audi A8 and company. How on earth can anyone justify calling this 5.7 metre long monstrosity a sports sedan? Easy. By making it impossibly fast.
To do this, AMG, Mercedes-Benz's tuning division have delved into their parts bin and dug up their most profound internal combustion engine yet -
the twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 found in the S65, SL65 and CL65 AMG. Slotted into the Maybach's engine bay, with plenty of room to spare, it is linked to a five-speed automatic gearbox that drives the rear wheels, just like any of the Stuttgart machines.
The hand-built V12 is good for plenty of go - 612-hp and 737 lb-ft worth of it. That's a gargantuan increase over the standard 550-hp and 664 lb-ft of torque figures that could happily be spread over three midsize automobiles. Of course, as the story goes with the 65-series Mercs, those engineers could have extracted much more, but output was capped for fear of detonating the transmission.
This is the new Maybach 57S, a car that has the prestigious title of being Maybach's first sporty vehicle. Since the Fulda-commissioned Exelero,
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| The 57S: The car for those who can't decide between sports car and limousine. (Photo: Maybach)<br> |
The 57S also holds the title of the world's first sports limousine. Though based on the 'compact' short wheelbase Maybach platform, it still has a wheelbase that's large enough to nearly swallow a MINI Cooper whole. It's around 200 mm (nearly 8 inches) longer than most uber-luxury sedans, like the Audi A8 and company. How on earth can anyone justify calling this 5.7 metre long monstrosity a sports sedan? Easy. By making it impossibly fast.
To do this, AMG, Mercedes-Benz's tuning division have delved into their parts bin and dug up their most profound internal combustion engine yet -
 |
| Big 6.0 litre 612 hp twin-turbo V12 is handbuilt by German craftsmen. (Photo: Maybach) |
The hand-built V12 is good for plenty of go - 612-hp and 737 lb-ft worth of it. That's a gargantuan increase over the standard 550-hp and 664 lb-ft of torque figures that could happily be spread over three midsize automobiles. Of course, as the story goes with the 65-series Mercs, those engineers could have extracted much more, but output was capped for fear of detonating the transmission.