When Maybach was revived during the early 2000s, their goal was clear: to go head to head with Rolls-Royce and Bentley as a global leader in luxury automobiles. However, as the years went on, it became clear their portfolio had a gaping hole in the form of an imposing luxury coupe that would allow you to cross continents in unparalleled luxury, no chauffeur required. After the one-off Maybach Exelero emerged in 2005, this became even more obvious, but with limited production capacity, the task of filling this gap was entrusted to he Xenatec Group from Weinsberg, specialists in custom vehicles, prototype construction, coachbuilding. By 2010, they announced their intention to build a coupé based on the Maybach 57 S in collaboration with Daimler and Maybach.
Intended to appear as though Maybach itself had developed the car, Xenatec recruited the help of the Maybach Exelero designer, Fredrik Burchhardt, who penned a perfect two-door counterpart to the 57 S, boasting an expansive hood, powerful shoulders, an extremely elongated side profile, and a roofline that transformed the sedan's base into a coupé-like silhouette. However, translating Burchhardt’s design from paper to reality was a significant undertaking, not just a cut and weld job. Xenatec moved the B-pillar forward, added completely redesigned longer doors and frameless windows, and rebuilt the entire greenhouse. The rear also saw drastic changes with wider wheel arches, while the side skirts and bumpers were also transformed, resulting in an almost entirely new car.
Under the bonnet, things were a little more familiar. The Maybach 57 S's powertrain remained untouched: a 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 producing 612 horsepower, paired with a five-speed automatic transmission. The 57 S Xenatec coupe broke cover at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show with a planned run of 100 cars, each carrying a sticker price of roughly 675,000 euros. However, as Maybach’s financial situation went from bad to worse, the production run was ended after just 8 vehicles had been built. This example, then, is an incredibly rare find, finished in its original specification of Baltic Black over beige exclusive leather. Now showing just 12,980 km, this incredible luxury barge is available with Mechatronik.
