July 3, 2002 -- The latest toy for the rich and famous - a 20-foot-long car that goes for a mere $300,000 - made a spectacular arrival in Manhattan yesterday, floating down from the sky onto the South Street Seaport.
The Mercedes Maybach was carried to New York on the deck of the Queen Elizabeth, picked up by helicopter just off the Statue of Liberty, lowered at the Seaport and then driven across lower Manhattan to the New York Stock Exchange - which otherwise was not having a very good day.

The Maybach is not only the longest production car manufactured - twice as long as the average car - it's also the most expensive, gushed publicist Claire Curran.

There are only 1,000 available, and celebrities said to be drooling for the car include Jay-Z, Jay Leno and P. Diddy.

If you want your very own Maybach, you'll have to pre-order it. The company refused to say how many have been ordered so far.

Basic Maybach features include rear seats designed like first-class airline passenger seats that fully recline, and include footrests as well as flat TVs and a Dolby "surround" audio system.