Plutocrat-mobile Watch: Maybach Ber Alles?

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

Plenty of rich Corinthian news today from the world of champagne wishes and caviar dreams. Among the weirdest is that Daimler has no plans to axe Maybach because (gasp!) it’s making money! How, you ask? By putting a rolling soft top on its 62S stretched sedan, calling it a Landaulet and charging folks $1.35m. Classy! If you’re having trouble getting a seven-figure auto loan at reasonable terms (and we’ve all been there, no?), Daimler understands. The Germans are helping undercut the raison d’automobile for its high-end German luxury brand by helping Aston build a $100k Lagonda S-Class competitor, aimed at the entry-level plutocrat, Maserati Quattroporte cross-shopping crowd. Egmcartech reports that the sedan, based on Aston’s VH platform, will go on sale in 2012. There will also be a Lagonda version of the Rapide, set to cost more than the sportier Aston version. Meanwhile, as Bugatti unleashes its Veyron GT, there’s word from Automotive News [sub] that the Alsatian luxury brand is developing a Rolls-Royce competitor in partnership with its VW-owned sister company, Bentley. That should come available sometime after the Veyron ends production in 2012.



Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

More by Edward Niedermeyer

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 6 comments
  • Nick Nick on Oct 09, 2008
    As the economy crashes I expect that demand for making the roof (windows and all other body panels) bullet proof will eclipse the demand for removing the roof. Yes, I would think that there aren't too many places left where being conspicuously, spectacularly wealthy is safe. I think you can get a Grand Marquis with extra thick glass...
  • SupaMan SupaMan on Oct 09, 2008

    Arent Maybach vehicles built on the last gen S-Class platform?

  • 3-On-The-Tree 2014 Ford F150 Ecoboost 3.5L. By 80,000mi I had to have the rear main oil seal replaced twice. Driver side turbo leaking had to have all hoses replaced. Passenger side turbo had to be completely replaced. Engine timing chain front cover leak had to be replaced. Transmission front pump leak had to be removed and replaced. Ford renewed my faith in Extended warranty’s because luckily I had one and used it to the fullest. Sold that truck on caravan and got me a 2021 Tundra Crewmax 4x4. Not a fan of turbos and I will never own a Ford again much less cars with turbos to include newer Toyotas. And I’m a Toyota guy.
  • Duke Woolworth Weight 4800# as I recall.
  • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X '19 Nissan Frontier @78000 miles has been oil changes ( eng/ diffs/ tranny/ transfer). Still on original brakes and second set of tires.
  • ChristianWimmer I have a 2018 Mercedes A250 with almost 80,000 km on the clock and a vintage ‘89 Mercedes 500SL R129 with almost 300,000 km.The A250 has had zero issues but the yearly servicing costs are typically expensive from this brand - as expected. Basic yearly service costs around 400 Euros whereas a more comprehensive servicing with new brake pads, spark plugs plus TÜV etc. is in the 1000+ Euro region.The 500SL servicing costs were expensive when it was serviced at a Benz dealer, but they won’t touch this classic anymore. I have it serviced by a mechanic from another Benz dealership who also owns an R129 300SL-24 and he’ll do basic maintenance on it for a mere 150 Euros. I only drive the 500SL about 2000 km a year so running costs are low although the fuel costs are insane here. The 500SL has had two previous owners with full service history. It’s been a reliable car according to the records. The roof folding mechanism needs so adjusting and oiling from time to time but that’s normal.
  • Theflyersfan I wonder how many people recalled these after watching EuroCrash. There's someone one street over that has a similar yellow one of these, and you can tell he loves that car. It was just a tough sell - too expensive, way too heavy, zero passenger space, limited cargo bed, but for a chunk of the population, looked awesome. This was always meant to be a one and done car. Hopefully some are still running 20 years from now so we have a "remember when?" moment with them.
Next