Upon its founding, Maybach Motorenbau built diesel engines for Zeppelins. Today’s Maybach 57 represents from the brand’s turn of this century rebirth, and is one of the most luxurious cars of its era. Will that keep you from exclaiming “oh the humanity” over its price?

So, after seeing the responses to last Friday’s flag-waving, and distinctly domestic I have to ask you all, why do you all hate America so very much? I mean geez, that car was so blatantly a symbol of American greatness that Brooks & Dunn might have penned a song about it. Hell, it was so American it could have been in one of those old Chevy ads, right next to the baseball and the apple pie.

Instead, most of you couldn’t get beyond the fact that it was an eighty-grand Focus and that’s why it fell in a record 94% Crack Pipe vote. I’ll bet next you’ll be voting for Donald Trump for president… or maybe Hilary Clinton.

You know what has long made America great—I mean besides that amazing FR200, of course? It was our nation’s can-do attitude. That’s driven America to win some big wars, lose some smaller, less important, we don’t really want to talk about them ones, design smart phones that don’t explode, and to put a few footprints on the moon. That’s right, we get things done. And when we get those things done we like to reward ourselves with the trappings of success. A very common way in which many of us do that is to buy a fancy German car.

You don’t get much fancier than a Maybach and here we have a that could really show your annoying neighbors that you’ve finally made it. Yes it looks like a Mercedes S-Class, but that’s because the Maybach marque is owned by Daimler Benz and that company brought them back from the dead to be positioned as their uber-brand.

Maybach was originally founded in 1909 to provide engines for the hydrogen-filled dirigibles that Otto Zeppelin was building as an alternative to ocean liners or not dying a flaming death. Maybach also built lavishly appointed automobiles between 1921 and 1940, their production ending when the company turned to the assembly of tank engines for the war effort. That was the German’s war effort you know, not ours.

In 1997 Daimler resurrected the Maybach brand with a pair of insanely well kitted cars—the 57 and 62—each named for its length in decimeters. Both lengths were powered by Daimler’s V12 engine. In this car’s case that’s a 5.5-litre twin turbo mill offering up a massive 543-bhp and a peasant-escaping 664 lb-ft of torque. That output is necessary to to move the three-ton car with the sort of alacrity demanded by the well to do.

Those folks are also most likely to want to experience the car’s performance capabilities from the back seat. Despite the obvious luxuries and fine construction exhibited up front, the cars were always intended to be chauffeur-driven. It’s in the back where the party really gets started, with multi-position seats that offer fine leather coverings, temperature control, and ass massage. They also offer, thanks to U.S. safety regulations, standard child safety seat mountings.

This one has a fridge in back, plus two TVs, its own sound system, and HVAC controls. The grey leather and suede headrests seem in fine shape on the car, although up front there does seem to be some areas (like around the light switch) that could benefit from some extra detailing.

The exterior, in Galapagos Gray two-tone, seems also to have stood the test of time. The headlamp covers show no signs of yellowing and continue to be one of the marque’s most distinctive design features. The other is the U-shaped tail lamps in the back, which hug the lid for the massive boot. One area that needs attention is the driver’s door latch which is de-laminating for some reason. The car rocks 45,600 miles and comes with a clear title.

Now, when new this car cost nearly four-hundred grand fully loaded. The Maybachs may have been one of the most exclusive rides ever sold over the last decade, but they also had the dubious distinction of suffering some of the worst depreciation of any car in the country. That has led to this twelve-year old now being offered at $60,989. Considering its luxury appointments that could even make it a cheap alternative to buying a a house.

What’s your take on this Maybach 57 and that $60,989 price tag? Does that seem like a deal to do a lap dance of luxury? Or, does the prospect of maintaining an old German car, especially one of the most complicated ones ever constructed, make that price seem still too high?

You decide!

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