Introduction
Mercedes-Maybach is synonymous with ultra-luxury, with owners ranging from reality TV stars to Asian royalty. It joins the Rolls Royce Bugatti and Lamborghini ranks as an exclusive line of vehicles we will only ever see on screen or in print. What makes a Maybach so special? And how does it compare to other ultra-luxury cars?
History of Maybach
The association of Mercedes-Benz with Maybach is a fairly recent turn of events. Maybach was, in fact, a stand-alone company from the time it was founded in 1909 until 1960, when it was acquired by Daimler Benz.
William Maybach and his son Karl developed the first Maybach vehicles as a subsidiary of a German aircraft company specializing in Zeppelins. The parent company was called Luftschiffbau Zeppelin. (A “luftschiff” is an airship in German, and the word “bau” means “to build.”)
The Maybachs subsidiary was derivatively named Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau. Luftfahrzeug is another word for aircraft, and motorenbau translates to engine construction. The company operated under this name until 1999 (under the patent company Daimler Benz since 1960). It finally became a standalone company, Maybach, in 2002.
