Taking a page from one of history’s most beloved fairy tales, the "Cinderella and the Maybach Berline" movie stars Cindy, a simple and down-trodden young lady who spends her days working at her father’s workshop while her stepmother and her spoiled princess of a daughter spend theirs living it up at the Billionaires Club.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
On the night of her birthday, though, Cindy’s father bought her a beautiful dress and gave her the chance to hit the town while behind the Maybach Berline Carriage prototype. Inspired by the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, the futuristic Maybach is an autonomous E-Cell - or F-Cell - vehicle that’s tele-operated via a satellite link to a Maybach Virtual Chauffeur Center. The ’no driver’ set-up of the car allows for more interior space on the vehicle, leaving plenty of room for passengers to enjoy the comforts of luxury in a moving, private setting. Among the features decked out in the futuristic Maybach, include a vis-à-vis seating layout with a “Royal Lounge” on one side and two single seats on the other. There’ also a large glass screen that displays 3D laser projection, which, in turn, is suspended from the ceiling and can display the Virtual Chauffeur or a variety of media and entertainment. The Berline Carriage also has large divided gullwing doors that carry their own oversized privacy glass and retractable stairs to make for convenient loading and unloading.
Suffice to say, this quintessential ’futuristic rom-com’ will show us the story of the the 21st century Cinderella - or Cindy - complete with a romantic twist and a young, dashing prince.
Maybach is celebrating its 125th anniversary with the unveiling of a one-off Edition 125! at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt. According to the manufacturer this special edition model "presents exquisite new possibilities for individually styling the high-end saloons."
The Maybach Edition 125! was created as a celebration of the 125 years of the automobile and it also honors the ingenious designer behind the brand, Wilhelm Maybach. The 125! is painted in a newly created Tahiti Black/ Patagonia Silver combination that works well with the lavish contour lighting and laser-engraved light motif in the front armrest. Other features for this special one-off model include a glove compartment lid that has been embroidered with the signature of Wilhelm Maybach, silver-colored top-stitching, silver carbon fiber and black piano lacquer trims, 20" matte black wheels with high-sheen spokes, and a newly styled radiator grille.
Along with the new Edition 125!, Maybach also brought the restyled versions of the 57 and 62 that debuted earlier this year. These models received a new chrome radiator grille, a new front bumper, a redesigned hood, re-styled side mirrors, new rear light clusters, and new-look 21-spoke, 19-inch wheels for the standard models and 12-spoke, 20-inch wheels for the S variants. The 57S and 62S models are powered by a 12-cylinder engine that develops a total of 630 HP. The 57 and 62 models get a 6.0 liter V12 supercharged and turbocharged engine that develops 542bhp.
Weddings are a huge deal for just about every woman with a breath and for Kate Middleton, the event is even more spectacular considering she is tying the knot with none other than Prince William. An event like this is sure to be on the calendars of every romantic in the world and would likewise never slip past the automakers marketing departments as a fleeting thought so finding a vehicle to mark the occasion wasn’t something we thought would be difficult. Turns out, we were right. Project Kahn has taken the time to create a special Maybach 57 Wedding Commemorative edition, which is appropriately painted in pearl white.
The Wedding Commemorative Maybach 57 will feature special paintwork and finish to go along with the pearl white exterior and will also make good use of a new set of 22" wheels. The 57 will also have Project Kahn Maybach 57 smoked rear lights, special interior components, and Pentagon privacy glass. The royal tribute carriage is made complete with a number plate fit for a prince: 4 HRH. For those that do not know, HRH stands for His/Her Royal Highness.
Project Kahn explains the intention behind the special edition: "Project Kahn understands the meaning of traveling in style and with the conversion we perform on this prestige vehicle there is no more of a stylish way to travel. The 4 HRH number plate is worthy of befitting a vehicle such as the Project Kahn Maybach 57. And as a proud Englishman and designer, this is our way of wishing the royal couple many happy years together."
Another model getting the royal treatment is the Lexus LS600h. The hybrid sedan hit it big as Prince Albert II of Monaco and his future wife, Miss Charlene Wittstock, will be driving the Lexus during the shindig. We’re sure these won’t be the only royal vehicles hitting the procession so we’ll keep a look out for any more.
Maybach is all about luxury, but now the company has unveiled an armored version for those who want to combine hardcore safety with that same luxury. Called the Maybach Guard, this new vehicle is based on the 62 model and features an integrated safety system by the German engineers in Sindelfingen.
The Maybach Guard has received a special armor made of highly specialized steel and high-tech Kevlar integrated in the body shell. Sounds pretty hefty, but in reality, the armor only adds 460 kilos to the car’s total weight, so no changes had to be made to the drive train, suspension, or braking-system.
The new Guard system will not only offer high protection, but it will also be the only armored car in the world to be able to reach a top speed of 155 mph and get from 0 to 60 in just 5.7 seconds.
After the integration of the other special protective features, the vehicle moves onto the standard assembly room in the Sindelfingen production plant, where masters of craftsmanship dedicate all their skills to ensure the highest standard in the individualization process.
Who is Xenatec? Well, if you’ve been around the tuning block, you’ve probably heard of this German coachbuilder who has been announcing plans for amazing cars for quite some time now.
After years of talking, Xenatech finally released their latest creation, the Maybach 57S Coupe. The German coachbuilder will be bringing their new prized vehicle to Geneva, but ironically enough, the launch won’t take place at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Instead of joining the rest of the automotive world at the Palexpo Center, Xenatech will be pulling the covers off of the new 57S Coupe at a specially built pavilion in the gardens of “La Reserve” hotel on the banks of Lake Geneva.
Why they decided on doing this is a question that we don’t have an answer to. Whatever the case may be, these guys probably want all the attention for themselves, which isn’t a bad thing. At the very least, a lot of people attending the Geneva Motor Show should be buzzing about the $1 million-dollar luxury car that’s being launched across town.
Details on the Maybach 57S Coupe by Xenatec after the jump.
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