By: IOL Motoring Staff:
Los Angeles, California - Making its debut in the home of the convertible is the first drop-top to wear the new Mercedes-Maybach badge: the S650 Cabriolet. Just 300 will be made, for delivery from the second quarter of 2017 at an overseas starting price of €300 000 (R4.56 million) each, which includes as standard all the optional extras available for the S-Class Cabriolet on which it's based - including AirCap, AirScarf and Swarovski headlights.
Exclusive Maybach features include a new front bumper with a distinctive lower section and lots of what She Who Has the Casting Vote refers to as “twinkly bits” - chrome trim elements emphasising the crisp styling - as well as a Maybach emblem on each wing, special 20 inch forged-alloy rims with a two-tone finish and down-lighters under the doors that project the Maybach logo on to the ground when you open the doors.
The interior, trimmed throughout in leather, channels the 'barchetta' (little boat) design language pioneered by Touring for the 1948 Ferrari 166MM and now common to most topless cars with its 'flowing lines' upholstery design, which uses the perforations in the leather to create a waterfall effect, complemented by diamond quilting in the side bolsters and outlined with Budapest piping.
The name game
You'll find Maybach logos embroidered on the seat backs, embossed on the head restraints and inlaid on the lid of the centre console stowage compartment, as well as '1 of 300' engraved on the cup holder and 'MAYBACH’ on the steering wheel.
The special trim elements, individually made for each car based on the colour and grain of the wood, continue the 'flowing lines' with individually milled lines, just 0.8mm wide, that follow the shape of the trim and expose the lighter wood underneath.
Open the boot, and there's more special stuff - a custom luggage set, made from the same leather as the interior trim, consisting of two large travel bags and two lifestyle bags that can be strapped together so that they exactly fit into the boot with the top down.
Finally, each car comes with its own car cover matching the fabric of the roof, a '1 of 300' key-ring, also made of the same leather as the interior trim, and a certificate of provenance.
OK, you had to ask
The Mercedes-Maybach S 650 is motivated by a six-litre twin-turbo V12 rated for 463kW from 4800-5400 revs and 1000Nm from 2300-4300rpm, driving the rear wheels via a seven-speed 7G-Tronic auto transmission. AirMatic suspension with steplessly variable damping control is standard.
Performance is quoted at 0-100 in 4.1 seconds and 250km/h (electronically limited) flat out, and nominal fuel-consumption on the NEDC laboratory cycle at 12 litres per 100km.