Batman - - always willing to do what others are too gutless to do themselves...
Posted on 05/15/2005 6:20:31 PM PDT by xp38
Cooperation between German Luxury Car Brand and Tire Company Goes Back Sixty-Six Years
Advertisements and specialty vehicles go hand in hand, particularly in the automotive world. Countless companies use specialty vehicles to portray new products, which have resulted in some of the most glamorous and far-out cars on earth. Fulda Reifenwerk, the German subsidiary of the Goodyear tire company, may have just topped the world's best with a one-off 700-horsepower Maybach Exelero Coupe, specifically designed to draw attention to its new Exelero, super-wide high-performance tire.
Of all the different carmakers Fulda could have worked with, it chose Germany's ultimate luxury brand Maybach. The connection between the two firms dates back to the 1930s, when the duo challenged Auto Union (one of the firms that joined together to form Audi) and Mercedes-Benz for a crack at breaking the 200 km/h barrier on Germany's autobahns. In 1938, Fulda commissioned the Maybach SW 38, a streamlined two-door coupe based off the
Zeppelin chassis to perform high-speed tests for its tires. Powered by a 140-horsepower 3.6-litre six-cylinder engine, the SW 38 was capable of surpassing 200 km/h (124 mph), pushing the performance envelope (back then, at least).
In 2005, separated by more than sixty-six years, the Maybach and Fulda team are back together, thanks to the reincarnation of the long-dormant brand name by DaimlerChrysler AG. Much like the SW 38, the Exelero was built as a high-speed machine, although this time Fulda commissioned the vehicle to achieve speeds of above 350 km/h (218 mph)!
While it's true that the underlying achievement for the Exelero was to exceed its target speed, there were other goals
that both firms agreed upon. The two companies wanted a limousine that paid homage to the original in terms of styling and image. The job of styling the car fell to Pforzheim Polytechnical's Design Department which came up several potential designs. The shape of the finished Exelero is a combination of four separate designs, which include elements such as the split rear window of the '60s Corvette Stingray, to the rear hull of a speedboat. The main pieces of inspiration, however, were the original 1930s speed machines.
Compared to the Maybach 57 and 62, the luxury marque's current production models, the new Exelero is of a completely different design language. The car is based around the shorter of the two limousines, the 5.7 metre long 57, which still gives it a gigantic footprint. What's more, it is slightly longer than the 57 at 5,850 mm (230.3 inches), substantially wider at 2,140 mm (84.25 inches), yet has an identical wheelbase of 3,390 mm (133.5 inches). The only measurement that comes up short on the Exelero is height, at just 1,390 mm (54.7 inches) tall. Nevertheless, the Exelero never seems as large as it actually is, thanks to a well-proportioned body which features a long hood and a swept back cockpit.
With this concept, Maybach hopes to shake the recently obtained reputation of being an S-Class copycat, and restore the
glory and prestige of its earlier years. A new nose, complete with a massive, chrome-clad grille, arched fenders and swept-back headlamps give it a bold, almost menacing demeanor. Rising up from its fenders and along its side profile, several chiseled edges add texture and flair to the window line, which Fulda likens to an F1 racer. The car culminates at a pointed tail with a tapered rear screen, and waterfall tail lamps. To prevent its ingot-like body from being defiled by scoops, vents and spoilers, Maybach craftily stylized the front, side and rear skirts to channel air under the car and into a Venturi diffuser to create downforce and improve ventilation for the engine and brakes at speed.
Though the Exelero is a two-seater, the interior's layout is standard Maybach fare. Many components, such as the upper
and lower dash, door panels, steering wheel COMMAND navigation/hifi system and HVAC components have been pulled from the standard 57 and 62. The electro-luminescent instrument cluster also looks to be standard Mercedes, although it measures speeds of up to 360 km/h. The Exelero features snug racing buckets with racing harnesses, as well as a new centre console. Rather than the traditional supple wood and leather, the Maybach concept uses carbon fibre, and red-black sports weave trim.
To propel a 5.8-metre long two-door limousine with a curb weight of 2,660 kg (4,982 lbs) to speeds above 350 km/h takes a lot of power, which is why Maybach chose Mercedes-Benz's ultimate engine: the AMG-tuned 5.9-litre twin-turbocharged V12, as found in the S, SL and CL 65 AMG. However, the 600-horsepower the engine provides in Mercedes guise is not nearly enough to satiate Fulda and Maybach's appetite for speed: modifications to the turbo crank output to an incredible 700-horsepower and 752 lb-ft of torque, propelling the Exelero to 100 km/h in just 4.4 seconds.
What's more important, is the fact that it is capable of reaching its creators' goals of breaking the 350 km/h speed
barrier. Just a few days ago, in the hands of Mercedes-Benz test driver Klaus Ludwig, the Exelero reached an FIA-certified top speed of 351.45 km/h (218.38 mph) around the Nardo oval in Italy. To cope with such high velocities, the new concept was also equipped with immense braking power through huge 376 mm (14.8 inch) front discs that feature two sets of four-piston calipers to scrub off speed. Of course, ABS and ESP stability and traction control are fitted. Tires on the Exelero are Fulda's purpose-made 315/25ZR 23 Carat Exelero tires up front and in back. They are wrapped around the same 23-inch torque-star wheels first seen on the Mercedes-McLaren SLR supercar.
For Fulda and Maybach, the Exelero is not only a dream come true but a partnership reborn; it demonstrates that the
cooperation of two major forces can build a vehicle that's not only functional, but beautiful. Unfortunately, it's unlikely that the Exelero will ever be anything more than a one-off concept car, due to costs. Rumour has it that the development for the fully-operational concept was to cost over a million euros. Nevertheless the Maybach-Fulda Exelero is inspirational. It's a truly daring work of mechanical art that taps into the two companies' rich history.
There was a mention of rumor that it cost about 1 million Euros to develop. That would be a bit over 1 million US. I would be hard pressed to come up with 1 day of the weeks worth which would be close to 200k. :)
I don't know how that works. Maybe report it to the mods as some kind of abuse. :)
they aren't selling well. Most of the initial buyers are hip-hop artists (and Rush I guess). the car is overpriced. the best value proposition in the uber-sedan market is the Bentley Flying Spur.
take your computer out back and burn it. Quick!
Rush should buy it if there is only going to be one copy. Imagine Daryn and Rush getting out of this thing.
I wonder if that sucker comes in FWD???
Your car is ready...
Batman - - always willing to do what others are too gutless to do themselves...
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