Alex has written for Vanity Fair, Barrons, Bloomberg and Condé…
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 shoulder line in a contrasting color, 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 atomizer. 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 epitomizes 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 some-thing 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 per-formance, only one hundred of these special models will be made worldwide.
Yet 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 perfor-mance is assured in both cases by the 6.0-liter V12 biturbo power unit under the hood, which now delivers 631 hp and a peak torque of 738 lb-ft.
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 rec-ognized by its two-tone special paint finish. The shoulder line 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 May-bach Zeppelin in additional paint finishes should 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 elabo-rate 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 sepa-rated from the door frame by a slender arm, giving them a more ex-pressive 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 combination of appoint-ments in California beige and deep Stromboli black leathers form a de-lightful contrast. At the same time, the lustrous deep black tone of the leather harmonizes beautifully with the exquisite black 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 exclusivity. The unique 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. Completing the lux-urious cabin, 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 center 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 sterling silver 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 de-tail that is exclusive to the Maybach Zeppelin – an imaginatively de-signed, extremely high-quality perfume atomizer, 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 so-phisticated technology and premium fragrances create a unique aro-matic experience in the Maybach Zeppelin’s interior at the push of a button – stimulating the senses of the occupants not with an overpo-wering perfume but with a soft, delicate scent.
The system’s core component is an internally illuminated Plexiglas sphere on the rear center console, into which Maybach Zeppelin owners can insert a vial of their preferred fragrance. A compressor then directs a gentle flow of air into the Plexiglas sphere, fanning the vial’s perfume molecules into the vehicle interior.
The ingenious control understands the human sense of smell
The perfume atomizer can be activated either from the driver’s seat or by means of a button in the rear center console, with an additional thumbwheel in the rear for sensitive aroma control. The chosen fra-grance 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 atomizer.
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 atomizer switches off after about ten minutes. Once the sys-tem has switched off, the fragrance – which does not seep into the inte-rior’s materials or the occupants’ clothes – quickly evaporates. Reacti-vating the atomizer 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 atomizer option includes a total of three artistically-designed vials, which are hand-blown by a well-known glass artist.
The elaborate, silent-running perfume atomizer system is a patented Maybach innovation.
Alex has written for Vanity Fair, Barrons, Bloomberg and Condé Nast Traveler.