Throne Watch: Maybach Owners In Tears, Bentley To The Rescue

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Are you the King of Spain, the Sultan of Brunai, Jay-Z, or the Russian oil billionaire Roman Abramovich? Check your mailbox. Volkswagen’s Bentley has sent you mail. Bentley wants to grieve with you over the passing of your beloved Maybach brand, and then, in a tasteful way, hopes will be expressed that your next car will be a Bentley.

In November, Daimler announced that it will bury Maybach (for an eulogy fittingly written by Jack Baruth, click here). This allegedly caused tears amongst the über-rich. Bentley Chief Executive Wolfgang Dürheimer told Reuters at the Detroit auto show that he already heard from some sad Maybach owners: “The comments I’m receiving aren’t very positive – they feel left alone.”

Well, it’s lonely at the top. To set themselves off from the riff-raff, current Maybach owners are unlikely to replace their $372,500 Maybach 57S with a Mercedes S350 Bluetec: $91,300 – never mind that the two look like twins. They are.

The thinking goes that Bentleys and Rollers are closer to the hearts of the clientele. A Bentley Mulsanne ($290,000 MSRP, excluding tax, title, license and destination charge) will look like a bargain compared to the lowest-priced Maybach, the 57. If you have money to burn (like the royalty in that video,) Bentley has a shop that caters to the strangest tastes, at a hefty surcharge.

Then, why send letters? At around 200 Maybachs sold in 2011, seeking an audience with the grieving owner would probably be more efficient. Bring Kleenex and brochures.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Kkt Kkt on Jan 14, 2012

    My e-mail from Bentley must have got caught in my spam filter.

  • Davekaybsc Davekaybsc on Jan 14, 2012

    Oh, why can't I pay $300K for a gussied up, uglified W220 S-class with an "exotic wood dash!" kit and '90s era electronics? It's so unfair!

  • Blowfish Blowfish on Jan 14, 2012

    wonder what sultan of brunei have bought lately? I read when RR was sold to Bimmer, he decided not to buy anymore. perhaps he had some grudge against anything from fatherland. "Why not to save Maybach by selling it to rich Chinese company, most of buyers are in China anyway" sadly middle kingdom cannot buy enuf of maybach to save the brand do they need 1000 or 2000 cars. to redo an new model is not going to be chump change at all. they could keep the old design alive just like the old 600 was made till 90s ( either 80s I cant confirm it ) then again the maybach doesnt have the presence as the 600 though. wonder if merc can pawn off 600 again if the modern accoutrements are to be added IE air bags, high powered turbo locomotive engine. currently i am driving a w115 240d, it does have some resemblance to a mini 600. http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/bnc/cto/2771487816.html

    • Inside Looking Out Inside Looking Out on Jan 14, 2012

      I can understand Sultan of Bruney - what BMW understands about luxury. I do not like the idea of putting my chauffeur through torture of driving BMW. On the other hand I suggest to sell all remaining American and European companies and brands to Chinese before they eventually go Ch.11 and be done with it once and for all. I cannot understand attraction of making stuff. Moving other peoples money around is so much more interesting and cool.

  • Stuki Stuki on Jan 14, 2012

    Is RR going to update the Phantom? Or is this pretty much the end of the line for that one as well? The Ghost, while nicer to look at, simply doesn't have the exaggerated presence the Phantom (and the Maybach 62) does. I still think Caddy or Lincoln should take all they have learned about making BOF piickups drive smoothly, and build a BOF Captain of Industry Cruiser. 150" wheelbase, 250" length overall, but low enough to look vaguely sleek, and with appointments extending almost to a chandelier above the passenger seats. Either that, or Benz should do it on a Sprinter chassis. Since more and more of the 1%'ers are likely to start worrying about the 99%'ers, the greater ease of accommodating armor on a BOF platform should be a selling point, as well.

    • See 2 previous
    • Hogie roll Hogie roll on Jan 15, 2012

      I dream of just such a vehicle on a daily basis. Basically just slam a denali and put a sleek body on it.

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