sklasse

BMW has Bentely

Volkwagen has Rolls-Royce


but who the hell ever heard of Maybach before ? Why did Mercedes cheap out and not buy a car that has some "history" to it. People who
spend that much for car, would want a car that it has this cache attached to it.

If Mercedes doled out for the rights to the name Rolls-Royce or Bentely or some exclusive that, would be fitting its own 127 history of making cars.


what do you thinK?

amdeutsch

Frankly, it sounds to me like you didn't learn from history. Time to google it.

whoover

Maybach and Daimler worked together, starting during the American Civil War! Before Maybach split to form his own company they made enough advances in the development of the self-contained internal-combustion engine that Mercedes built their new museum at the site of that collaboration. Daimler never even met Benz!

In that sense, Maybach has a tremendous amount of historical significance to the Mercedes story. In any case, the glorious Maybach cars of the thirties are the ancestors of the 300SL gullwing, SLR and 65s more than any car from that period that bore the MB logo.

Maybach may have no history during your lifetime, but that's not history -- it's current events.

JohnCL

I was going to say you had better do a little more research on the subject, but as usual AMDEUTSCH has beat me to the punch.....

rnds

What you have said shows extraordinary ignorance -- Wilhelm Maybach is one of the greatest names in automotive history.

Wilhelm Maybach and Gottlieb Daimler designed and engineered the first Mercedes. Maybach also designed engines for the Dutch company Spyker

It is true that Maybach is not really the sister brand of Mercedes, they were actually competitors (after Wlihelm Maybach set up his own car company). Daimler-Benz bought the rights to the Maybach brand in the 1960s.

Also, Daimler-Chrysler were very interested in acquiring Rolls-Royce, but Vickers (Rolls-Royce motor cars previous owner) made it clear very early that they would not sell Rolls-Royce to its greatest competitor (Mercedes-Benz)

I do have some personal problems with the Maybach myself. To me, the whole project seems superficial ....it really adds nothing whatsoever to the Mercedes-Benz marque.

Townshend

Maybach does have some history, albeit not much compared to Bentley or Rolls Royce. You aren't very likely to see many vintage Maybachs at Concours events, and if you do there is only one or two of them. But what marque do you suggest Merc use? The only one that comes to my mind is Duesenberg but that wouldn't have made sense compared to Maybach with which MB has an actual history with..

Townshend

BTW, it's actually the other way around..

BMW = Rolls Royce

VW = Bentley

rnds

Well, I know you were not asking me that question ..but I would suggest they used the Mercedes-Benz name ....there was no reason why the Mercedes brand was not able to compete with Rolls-Royce and Bentley -- the S class was always considered to be the nearest rival for the Bentley Turbo R/Arnage and Rolls-Royce Silver Spur/Silver Seraph.

I find it agitating that Daimler Chrysler are happy to move the Mercedes brand down market to compete against the VW Golf, but no longer consider the Mercedes name to be worthy of their top limousine -- the resulting Maybach has been a very disappointing marketing exercise.

Townshend

Good points, but I have to disagree with you on some of them. While the S-class was Rolls-Royce and Bentley's nearest rival, it wasn't directly. RR and Bentley both have that uber-lux attachment to it, while the Merc is only lux, esp with models like the A and C-class bringing it down market (as you mentioned). For the ultimate in luxury, marketing-wise, Mercedes doesn't cut it, at least not by today's standards. I don't believe people would be willing to spend $300-400k on a Mercedes, much like people in the US don't want to spend $70-80k on a Volkswagen (Phaeton).

Townshend

OT, but just to mention, I would love to own a Phaeton. Great amount of car for the money (used). You can pick up a 2005 for under $45k.

lkchris

Don't know much history, then.

Mercedes has ALWAYS produced ittty bitty cars, even a rear engine model that looks a lot like a Beetle.

The E-class remains the taxicab of Germany, despite so many Americans fantasizing they're luxury cars.

And, they produce all those vans and trucks.

Whether they EVER saw themselves as a Rolls competitor is something you don't know. The 600 limos of the '60s perhaps.

They put the Pope in a G-Wagon.

I toured the Maybach showroom in Sindlefingen last July and it's a pretty luxury experience. Of course luxury isn't teddy bear hide. If you're in the market for one, you just have to go to this location. You'll be treated like a Shiek.

BTW, here's a picture of a 1920s Maybach Zeppelin I took last July at the Classic Center
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/atta...1&d=1163008821

NY C32

Townshend

On a side note, the Pope also got a Phaeton.

benzmodz

It's a chick magnet for one.

sklasse

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/2015611-post15.html just realized this there is this same topic thread on the other forum peace

AsianML

Do you think that just by linking a specific post, that we can't trace it back to the thread that it's posted in?

That topic is totally different from this one. Face it, you got owned not only here, but on benzworld as well.

ruykava

just as an aside,

shouldn't it be the other way around - they're used as luxury taxicabs, as are 5-series' (which are also police cars in many countries)

agree with you regarding Merc vs RR though - Merc may have the technical advantages, but you can't beat a RR for sheer luxury, hence the resurrection of Maybach.

whoover

Actually, the trim level of the fleet of Euro-cabs is anything but luxurious. There's no wood or leather to be seen, and none of the geegaws we assume are standard because they are in US E-class cars. No electric seat adjustments; no power windows for the most part.

Historically, cabs have been midsize Mercedes with four-cylinder diesels because they are reliable, cheap to operate and run for ever. Nobody has been hurt more by Mercedes quality problems than the taxi operators. On the other hand, many of the worst problems have been with options not fitted in these cabs, lessening the problem a little.

TeutonicCarFan

For those of you who want a visual history lesson here are a few pics...

rnds

You obviously missed my avatar -- I have very good understanding of Mercedes-benz's history and the extensive product range -- the point I was making (and I thought it was pretty clear) was, why did DCX no longer feel the Mercedes marque was prestigious enough to take on RR and Bentley?

rnds

Sure the Rolls-Royces and Bentleys of the late 60s-1990s might have had a more prestigious image, but they were technically totally inferior to any S class through those decades.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom VI however, was a different story. The old Phantom VI, from a technology point-of-view, might have been a dinosaur compared to just about everything else on the road, but they were completely hand built in London (not in Crewe like the production-line Royces) and were extraordinarily exclusive ....equivalent to more than twice the price of a Maybach 62 today --outrageous!.

rnds

By the way, what do you guys think of the new Maybach 62S?

TeutonicCarFan

I would like to tell you but I can not string together a sentence eloquent enough to express my feelings

Germancar1

Uh..your signature? Does it show that for everyone?

M

TeutonicCarFan

Hmm i didn't notice it at the time but I think I know what you are referrring to and yes it does (in regards to johncl's sig)...I am running a Mac with Firefox.....