It comes with a 621-hp V12 engine—and Swarovski crystals embedded in the headlights.
Tuesday night at a private residence in Los Angeles, Mercedes-Maybach unveiled the S650 Cabriolet, a four-seat convertible aimed at the wealthiest auto buyers on the globe.
The $323,000 V12 soft-top is the first of its kind from the ultra high-end Mercedes-Maybach line, meant to tap the recent success of other expensive drop-tops like the $335,000 Rolls-Royce Dawn and the $267,000 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible.
While the Rolls delivers the world’s best in hand-built automotive craftsmanship, and the Bentley delivers racing-caliber speed and performance, the Mercedes inhabits the spot between them, blending both characteristics of performance and opulence. Most who buy it will be consumers loyal to German engineering who simply add it as their latest open-air option in garages already stuffed with luxury brands.
Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet Studioaufnahme, offenes Verdeck; Kraftstoffverbrauch kombiniert: 12,0 l/100 km; CO2-Emissionen kombiniert: 272 g/km // Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet studio shot, open soft top; Fuel consumption combined: 12,0 l/100 km; Combined CO2 emissions: 272 g/km
The Mercedes-Maybach Cabriolet is the first of its kind—but hardly the first example of Mercedes tapping this uppermost echelon of car buyers: The brand debuted a 6-meter-long Mercedes-Maybach Concept Coupe at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August; its $1 million Mercedes-Maybach Pullman and $192,000 Mercedes-Maybach S600 sedan debuted last year. This new convertible is the logical progression of the line.
Super-expensive cars like these tap into a market of global wealth that remains thirsty for exclusive product regardless of economic factors; the margins on Mercedes-Maybach’s newest cabriolet are especially high, too, considering the fact that many of its underpinnings had already been developed for the previous Mercedes-Maybach S Class.
Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet Studioaufnahme, Frontansicht; Kraftstoffverbrauch kombiniert: 12,0 l/100 km; CO2-Emissionen kombiniert: 272 g/km // Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet studio shot, front view; Fuel consumption combined: 12,0 l/100 km; Combined CO2 emissions: 272 g/km
The Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet includes Swarovski crystals in the headlights. Photographer: Daimler AG – Global Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars
Mercedes-Maybach’s Cabriolet does also include many of the appointments that make the similar $220,000 Mercedes-Benz AMG SL65 Convertible distinctive: the warming system that blows warm air onto passengers’ necks, the supple leather sewn into intricate patterns on the seats; and an internal fragrance system that scents the cabin of the car.
It comes with Swarovski crystals embedded into the headlights and a matching luggage set. (But where’s the $46,000 picnic basket?) Last year’s AMG SL65 can hit 60mph in 3.9 seconds, which is faster than its Maybach counterpart, but the more recent of the two is the more grand.
Buyers in the United States can choose to have it in one of three color combinations: Zircon Red with a white and black interior; Cote d’Azur Blue with a white and saddle brown interior; or Diamond White with white and a yacht-blue interior.
Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet Studioaufnahme, offenes Verdeck; Kraftstoffverbrauch kombiniert: 12,0 l/100 km; CO2-Emissionen kombiniert: 272 g/km // Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet studio shot, open soft top; Fuel consumption combined: 12,0 l/100 km; Combined CO2 emissions: 272 g/km
Mercedes-Maybach will make 300 total of the S650 Cabriolet. Seventy-five of them are slated for the U.S.Photographer: Daimler AG – Global Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars
Better yet: Top performance is 621 horsepower; top speed will likely approach 200mph. That’s enough to put Rolls and Bentley on notice.
Mercedes-Maybach will make 300 total of the S650 Cabriolet; 75 of them will go to the United States. Production begins next year.
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