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The new Maybach Zeppelin: The reincarnation of an automotive legend

The Maybach brand is bringing out the new Maybach Zeppelin to spearhead its luxury saloon model range. The new model, which is receiving its premiere at the Geneva Motor Show, represents the absolute zenith in the high-end luxury saloon segment. This makes it a worthy successor to the legendary Maybach Zeppelin, which was revered worldwide as the ultimate in high-class automotive engineering in the 1930s. The hallmark features of the new Maybach flagship’s unique sense of style include a stunning paint finish, featuring a shoulderline in a contrasting colour, as well as the exquisite, meticulously crafted materials in the interior, whose long list of optional extras includes a world first – a highly sophisticated perfume atomiser. The new model’s performance even outclasses the rest of the Maybach range, making it the most powerful Maybach ever. In a nutshell: the Maybach Zeppelin epitomises stylish elegance and the art of vehicle manufacture at its most refined as no car has ever done before. The new Maybach Zeppelin is being built in a limited edition of just 100 worldwide.

Even today, the name “Zeppelin” has an incomparable ring to it in the realm of high-end luxury cars. As in bygone times, Maybach is once again building the Maybach Zeppelin for drivers who are seeking something extra special, even in this most luxurious of automotive segments. Not only do the Maybach 57 Zeppelin and Maybach 62 Zeppelin stand out for their exquisite elegance, inventive ideas and phenomenal performance, only one hundred of these special model versions of the high-end luxury saloons will be made worldwide.

Even greater power for the Maybach Zeppelin

The Maybach 57 S and the long-wheelbase version, the 62 S, serve as the technical basis for the new range-topping model. Supreme performance is assured in both cases by the 6.0 litre V12 biturbo power unit under the bonnet, which now delivers 471 kW/640 hp (+ 28 hp) and a peak torque of 1000 Newton metres.

A two-tone exterior identifies the new Maybach flagship

Whatever angle it is viewed from, the new Maybach Zeppelin radiates character and the sort of style which appeals to all the senses. From the outside, the luxury brand’s new top-of-the-range model can be recognised by its two-tone special paint finish. The shoulderline is painted right through to the background of the headlamp assemblies in Rocky Mountains light brown, which forms a stylish and scintillating contrast to the Taiga black finish used for the rest of the vehicle body. Dark red tail light units and a fine vertical partition in the tailpipe add striking visual touches at the rear. Naturally, customers may also specify their Maybach Zeppelin in any other paint finish they wish.

The Maybach Zeppelin’s newly designed 20-inch wheels in a Chrome Shadow finish complete the picture. These were first painted with a black undercoat, before having a silver topcoat applied using an elaborate painting process that causes the tone to gradually increase in darkness from the outside in.

The streamlined exterior mirrors, which produce even less wind noise, are new to Maybach. They have a more angular design and are separated from the door frame by a slender arm, giving them a more expressive look. They also feature an enlarged mirror surface together with integral indicators in the shape of a horizontal “V” for even greater perceptual safety.

The curving “ZEPPELIN” lettering that appears below the distinctive double “M” emblem on the radiator grille and on the boot lid instantly gives away the elite status of the new Maybach Zeppelin.

Finest-quality leather and high-gloss piano lacquer trim

The new Maybach Zeppelin is a car for connoisseurs, as is immediately apparent from its interior. Here, the luxurious leather appointments in California beige leather form a delightful contrast with the exclusive leather in deep Stromboli black that gives added impact to the shoulderline on the inside too. At the same time, the lustrous deep black tone of the leather harmonises beautifully with the exquisite piano lacquer finish of the trim elements. The precisely crafted contrasting topstitching in the dashboard and on the doors reinforces the Maybach Zeppelin’s sense of dynamism. The unusual diamond quilting pattern on the seat cushions and backrests together with the black piping gives the opulently styled seats a character all of their own. The occupants’ feet rest on genuine lambskin carpeting.

The limited-edition special models bear a number of discreet identifying markings in the interior too. The centre console in the front, the partition screen that is available as an option for the Maybach Zeppelin 62, plus the silver champagne flutes included as standard are all marked with the lettering “MAYBACH ZEPPELIN”, while the door sill panels as well as the key ring are engraved with the word “ZEPPELIN”.

World first – a system for a fine interior fragrance

Customers are also able to opt for an especially refined equipment detail that is exclusive to the Maybach Zeppelin – an imaginatively designed, extremely high-quality perfume atomiser, the only one of its kind in the world. It easily eclipses all previous efforts to produce something similar, both in terms of its visual appeal and its operation. Its sophisticated technology and premium fragrances, which can be individually chosen, create a unique aromatic experience in the Maybach Zeppelin’s interior at the push of a button – stimulating the senses of the occupants not with an overpowering perfume but with a soft, delicate scent.

The system’s core component is an internally illuminated Plexiglass sphere on the rear centre console, into which Maybach Zeppelin owners can insert a vial of their preferred fragrance. A regulator pump then directs a gentle flow of air into the Plexiglass sphere, fanning the vial's perfume molecules into the vehicle interior.

The ingenious control understands the human sense of smell

The perfume atomiser can be activated either from the driver’s seat or by means of a button in the rear centre console, with an additional thumbwheel in the rear for sensitive aroma control. The chosen fragrance gently wafts into the passenger compartment within ten to twelve seconds. On models with a partition screen, only the passengers in the rear are able to activate the atomiser.

The aroma experts took the human sense of smell into consideration when designing the control mechanism. As the nose adjusts to smells in such a way that it no longer perceives them after a short while, the perfume atomiser switches off after about ten minutes. Once the system has switched off, the fragrance – which does not seep into the interior’s materials or the occupants’ clothes – quickly evaporates. Reactivating the atomiser later allows the experience to be enjoyed all over again.

Artistic, hand-blown vials and specially developed fragrances

The system comes supplied with two select fragrances, which have been exclusively developed for the Maybach by a renowned perfumer from global specialist Givaudan: one light and refreshing, the other slightly heavier and woodier.

Maybach Zeppelin owners can also use other fragrances, or even have one specially developed and enjoy the luxury of immersing themselves in their very own, personally designed aroma. The fragrance holders are easily interchangeable. The specification includes a total of three valuable vials, which are hand-blown by a well-known glass artist. The elaborate, silent-running perfume atomiser system is a patented Maybach innovation.

The Maybach 57 Zeppelin costs €406,000, the Maybach 62 Zeppelin has a price tag of €473,200 (German list price, excl. VAT). The perfume atomiser that is exclusive to the Zeppelin can be ordered for an extra €3950 (German list price, excl. VAT).

The new Maybach Zeppelin goes on sale on 3 March 2009, with the first models expected to be delivered to customers in September 2009.


The New Maybach Zeppelin Set To Debut At The Geneva Motor Show This March | eMercedesBenz - The Unofficial Mercedes-Benz Weblog


M

Actually, those Dumbo ears mirrors on the C will be replaced by these new mirrors we've seen on the new E, facelifted S/CL/SL/CLS etc. I've seen a couple of new C's (overseas)sporting them but I guess they're not in the States just yet.

Here's a C63 in the UAE with them:




Regarding the engine and gearbox in the MM and the 65's: Ancient my foot. Dinosaur, What dinosaur? It's not like the car has the V12 in the W140. Plus, please tell me which other manufacturer that has an engine like it or even slightly close to it. Oh yea, that's right: NONE!

Gee, you guys want MB to develop new engines every year or something?? You do realize that development of new engines and gearboxes cost money, not to mention the time required to test them.

Phew, just had to get that out of my chest.

the use of a supposedly superlative (historically) nameplate on a "standard" edition of an aging low sales uber car can not be seen as a good omen. if anything the new maybach (supposing it exists) should carry this name.

under any case, one can rave about how maybach engineers have devised automatic sensors to detect farts and evacuate the gases automatically before they can be smelled, but ultimately these gizmos do not sell a maybach type vehicle.

it may very well be one of the most overengineered vehicles on the planet, and may very well carry everything including a pop up kitchen sink engineered to fit in a door handle, but at the end of the day the maybach is nothing but the ultimate expression of a normal car.

when people spend close to half a mill on a car, they are not looking for a car that evacuates fart smells automatically, they are looking for a car that gives you the pleasure to fart in it (i hope i make sense ).

this zeppelin edition may very well have updated the "standard" maybach with some fresh gizmos, but it has not raised the "experience bar" by a single notch.

there is a huge debate about "luxury", and maybach is at it's heart. whether we define luxury concpetualy by the extended presence of amenities, or by "ambiance". let us rephrase it, what is more luxurious: an appartment with a plethora of fla screens, automatic everythin, air conditioning, computers, reclinig massage chairs, or a brittish mansion with a lofty armchair next to fireplace, a bottle of fine cognac, draped curtains low lighting etc....?

there is no contesting that the Maybach still shames many a far newer higher segment car when it comes to gadgetry and amenities, but it fails in providing a sense of occasion.

it is true that chassis, engine, and transmission, and their modernity or lack thereof matter little in this segment, hell, bentley has been selling the same V8 for 50 years. but what matters is the ambiance in the cabine. zeppelin or no zeppelin, if a car is going to rob me from dearly acquired half a mill, it needs to provide more than just gadgets that will be standard on a fiat in a couple of years (at the pace of technology). it needs to provide something special, and timeless.

had we defined luxury by amenities, leave your ultra modern gadgeted up apartment for 3 years without updating, and you'll be left with a heap of silicon and motors, whereas the brittish mansion is still holding its own for the past 250 years.

it's not that the rolls royce or bentley are more powerful, or more advanced technologically or better engineered, they might as well not be, i have no idea, but they have maybach beaten with a club fraught with rusty nails for ambiance and atmosphere. this remains to be proven for the new arnage, the judgement is still pending and precarious.

let me give you a practical example.
look at the picture below. a real sense of luxury would hide whatever seat controls (i assume those control either a massage feature or the inflation of the cushions) in the armrest, and have the champagne flutes displayed outside, with their respective "flute holders" not inside a drawer.

luxury emphasizes the useless over the useful. champagne flutes senselessly using up space are more important than showcasing seat controls, and that is something that is not easy to grasp by an engineer trained to the german tradition of efficiency and rationalism.

this brings us back full circle to where we started, this Zeppelin is now the ultimate expression of the normal car, a 7 series or S class raised to a logarithmic exponent. but nothing more. and this, unfortunately, is what will cause this car to suffer the same doom as its other more notorious namesake.

Interesting Rumour, But i think its False, Maybach will continue, all thats in question is the dESIGN and planning From the current line up.

How can u have progress with the current gen of Cars? Only way is the design of newer and better looking Maybachs..

I wonder how many more names MB will whore. And the sad part is they don't even make any money out of it.

They are standard on all new W204 C class in EU as I have them for almost a year now and they are way way better than what they first used to be. They look slicker and give the car a much better stance.

Actually , The Maybach brand has been making alot of Money for Merc, It costed them almost nothing new, as they just took the old S Class chassis and went about doing there work....Thats why even currently, with there sales so low, Maybach is currently making more profit than RR, Merc just took the easy way out..It made them money now short term, but its killing the brand long term..

Thats why they taking soo long 2 make a decision on maybach, as its not using up money....

Its the dealers that are suffering as they Invested a huge up front sum 2 get the Maybach dealership.


Farouk,...

The Maybach 57/62 has become the Vertu cell phone of the automotive world. It's outmoded, yet outrageously expensive and completely eclipsed by newer product costing a fraction as much.