57 S Xenatec Coupé 2009 for sale

From first ownership Only 12,980 KM driven One of only 8 vehicles ever built 6.0 l V12 Bi-Turbo with 612 HP Like new condition When Daimler relaunched the traditional Maybach brand in the early 2000s, the goal was clear: to create an ultra-luxurious alternative to Rolls-Royce and Bentley. The Maybach 57 and Maybach 62 models (from 2002) were designed as chauffeur-driven limousines – large, heavy, quiet, with a focus on rear passengers. A sports coupe was never part of the official product planning. Exactly this gap later became fertile ground for an external project. At the same time, Maybach was increasingly under pressure at the end of the 2000s: despite technical excellence, demand remained well below expectations. The brand appeared to be competing with fresher and more iconic luxury coupes from other manufacturers in a programmatically narrow way. A coupe could have conferred an image of greater youthfulness – but the factory lacked both the capabilities and the economic justification. This is where the Xenatec group from Weinsberg (near Heilbronn) comes into play. Xenatec is a specialist in special vehicles, prototype construction, and small-series bodywork. In 2010, the company announced that it wanted to develop a luxury coupe based on the Maybach 57 S – in close collaboration with Daimler and Maybach. The approach was remarkable: unlike many tuning modifications, the car was to appear stylistically and structurally as if it had been built by Maybach itself. Therefore, it was not just a matter of "two doors less," but a nearly complete reconstruction of the body structure was decided. For the design, Xenatec involved designer Fredrik Burchhardt – a key figure, as he had already designed the sensational Maybach Exelero. In this way, a clear stylistic line with the Maybach world was ensured: long hood, powerful shoulders, extremely elongated side line, and a roof arch that translates the limousine base into a coupe silhouette. The transition from the four-door limousine to the true two-door coupe required much more from Xenatec than just a simple body modification. To make the proportions harmonious and achieve a dignified coupe presence, the B-pillar was significantly moved – by about twenty centimeters – to the rear. This made it possible to obtain comfortable access to the rear seats and to extend the side line more elegantly. As a result, completely new front doors were created, significantly longer, with frameless windows, as known from classic luxury coupes. The entire roof and window area, i.e., the so-called Greenhouse, was also reconstructed: the shape of the roof, the side windows, and their frames had to be made as unique pieces so that the flatter coupe silhouette appeared harmonious. The rear was also extensively reworked by Xenatec: the rear fenders were widened and the wheel arches adapted accordingly to connect the powerful shoulder with the new roof line and give the car a stable and secure stance. In addition, the sills and bumpers were revised to ensure that the overall appearance was more taut and sporty, without losing the Maybach character. In total, only the basic structure of the front and some parts of the rear of the donor vehicle remained – the rest of the body was developed from scratch and handcrafted, which clearly identifies the Xenatec project as a factory-level coachbuilding project. From the base vehicle, essentially the front part and some parts of the rear remained; the rest was rebuilt and assembled artisanally. This explains why the Xenatec modification is considered a top-level coachbuilding project. Technically, the Maybach's powertrain remained unchanged. By the end of 2010, the first prototype was completed. The world premiere followed in 2011 at the Geneva Motor Show – luxuriously equipped, with a clear factory-level ambition. Reactions were mostly fascinated: a Maybach as a coupe seemed to be the answer to a question that the brand itself had never asked. Xenatec then announced a planned limited series of up to 100 vehicles, at a net price of around 675,000 euros. However, Maybach's economic situation continued to deteriorate, and in 2012 the brand was closed in its current form. This also collapsed the basis for Xenatec's production plans. Instead of the announced 100 units, only 8 vehicles have been produced to date – which underscores the extreme rarity. With the end of Maybach, the Xenatec coupe automatically became a kind of "last fireworks" of the 57/62 generation: a car that comes from the last phase of a dying luxury brand and thus appears almost mythical today.