Maybach coupe set for limited production

German-based engineering specialist Xenatec has announced plans for an exclusive new Maybach coupe to rival the Bentley Brooklands and the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe.

The new two-door, which will ride on the same underpinnings and draw power from the same engine as the Maybach 57S, is planned to be built in a limited run of 100 cars at the company’s workshop in Weinsberg, Germany, all with the blessing of Maybach parent company, Daimler. Daimler has carefully followed the car’s development and will supply built-up 57S chassis from its nearby Sindelfingen-based manufacturing headquarters.

Depicted here in a series of official sketches issued by Xenatec, the Maybach coupe is set to receive a bespoke body that, while retaining its sedan sibling’s 5,730-millimeter length, has been widened considerably to 2,180 millimeters and lowered to about 1,480 millimeters.

Secrecy surrounds the originator of the new car’s design, although Daimler does not deny that its in-house styling department--headed by Gorden Wagener--has had a hand in its contemporary appearance.

The recently reworked grille and front-end styling of the facelifted Maybach 57S revealed at the recent Beijing motor show remains, but the rakish new coupe boasts more heavily angled windscreen and a B-pillar that has been moved back by 200 millimeters to accommodate longer doors. The C-pillar also extends further back to provide the coupe with a more sporting air.

Powered by the same twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 engine as the Maybach 57S, the new coupe will pack a sturdy 612 hp and 737.5 lb-ft of torque. No performance claims have been made for the new car, though Xenatec hints that the Maybach coupe won’t give anything away to its more formal sedan sibling, which is claimed to hit 62 mph from standstill in 5.0 seconds and to reach a top speed of 171 mph.

Supporting the new car is a returned air-sprung suspension featuring wider tracks and 20-inch wheels aimed at providing the car with a more sporting character than today’s Maybach models.

The price for such exclusivity--650,000 euros, or about $816,000.

By Greg Kable