MAYBACH PAST MODELS
Among the best-known Maybach models are the variants of the Maybach Type SW 38, Maybach Type Zeppelin DS 7 and Maybach Type Zeppelin DS 8. A wide range of body variants were available - it was all a question of the individual customer's personal preferences. Here, we see four of the finest models still in existence.
MAYBACH TYPE ZEPPELIN DS 8
CABRIOLET, BUILT 1929
This cabriolet was originally supplied as a Maybach Type 12 at the beginning of 1929. The side sections could be lowered completely to allow it to be used as a parade car. It was only in 1933 that it was converted into a Maybach Type Zeppelin DS 8 with a 200 hp engine. It was still being used as a luxury taxi in the 1970s and counted Germany's President Heuss and Chancellor Kiesinger among its most notable passengers. This Maybach Type Zeppelin DS 8 is one of the best-known surviving Maybach models.
Engine: four-stroke spark-ignition engine, 12 cylinders, 60° V-layout
Displacement: 7922 cc
Output: 200 hp at 3200 rpm
Transmission: DSG 80 double overdrive transmission
Top speed: 93 mph (150 km/h)
Wheelbase: 3.35 metres
Length: 5.50 metres
MAYBACH TYPE ZEPPELIN DS 8
CABRIOLET, BUILT 1932
After serving as a hotel runabout, this cabriolet fell into disuse and was forgotten for years, until a Maybach enthusiast discovered it in 1959 and set about restoring it. In 1999, it was acquired by the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, where it was completely repainted. This model features some unusual special equipment: an automatic jack fitted at each wheel and a compressor powered by the engine for inflating the tyres.
Engine: four-stroke spark-ignition engine, 12 cylinders, 60° V-layout
Displacement: 7922 cc
Output: 200 hp at 3200 rpm
Transmission: DSG 80 double overdrive transmission
Top speed: 87-106 mph (140-170 km/h), depending on body
Wheelbase: 3.35 metres
Length: 5.50 metres
MAYBACH TYPE SW 38
LIMOUSINE, BUILT 1936
Delivered in 1936, this Pullman saloon offered accommodation for seven people in five seats and two folding seats. During the fifties, this Maybach was used as a winch vehicle for launching gliders. In 1969, it was fully restored by its current owner and has since taken first place at numerous classic car events.
Engine: four-stroke spark-ignition engine, 6 cylinders
Displacement: 3815 cc
Output: 140 hp at 4000 rpm
Transmission: Maybach DSG 35 double overdrive transmission
Top speed: 87 mph (140 km/h)
Wheelbase: 3.38 metres
Length: 5 metres
MAYBACH TYPE SW 38
ROADSTER, BUILT 1939
This red Maybach roadster was taken to the former Soviet Union in 1945. Estonian car enthusiasts managed to get it running again, despite the fact that they had access to only the most basic resources. At the end of the seventies, the SW 38 was damaged near Tallinn. Following reunification, a Maybach enthusiast recovered the car and brought it back to Germany, where, after years of restoration work, he succeeded in returning it to its original condition.
Engine: four-stroke spark-ignition engine, 6 cylinders
Displacement: 3815 cc
Output: 140 hp at 4000 rpm
Transmission: Maybach DSG 35 double overdrive transmission
Top speed: 93 mph (150 km/h)
Wheelbase: 3.38 metres
Length: 5 metres
MAYBACH 57 and MAYBACH 62 Zeppelin, Built 2010
Not only did the Maybach 57 Zeppelin and Maybach 62 Zeppelin stand out for their exquisite elegance, inventive ideas and phenomenal performance, only one hundred of these special model versions of the high-end luxury sedans were made worldwide. The hallmark features included a stunning paint finish, featuring a shoulderline in a contrasting color, as well as the exquisite, meticulously crafted materials in the interior. This model's performance even outclassed the rest of the Maybach range. In a nutshell: the Maybach Zeppelin epitomized stylish elegance and the art of vehicle Manufacture at it's most refined as no car has ever done before.
The Maybach 57 S and the long-wheelbase version, the 62 S, served as the technical basis for this range-topping model. Supreme performance was assured in both cases by the 6.0 litre V12 biturbo power unit under the bonnet, which delivered 631hp and a peak torque of 738lb/ft.
| MAYBACH 57 ZEPPELIN 1 | US VERSION |
| No. of cylinders / arrangement | 12 / V |
| Bore / stroke ( mm ) | 82.6 x 93.0 |
| Cubic capacity ( cc ) | 5980 |
| Rated output 2 | 631 hp at 4800 @ 5100 rpm |
| Rated torque | 738 Ib. ft. at 2000 @ 4000 rpm |
| Compression ratio | 9.0 : 1 |
| Acceleration 0 - 60 mph ( s ) 2, 3 |
4.9 / 5.1 |
| Top speed, approx 4. | 172 / 155 mph |
| Tire size | 275 / 45 R 20 |
| Fuel tank capacity / incl. reserve | 29 / 3.7 gal |
| Curb weight | 6050 / 6340 Ibs. |
| Trunk capacity | 21.4 cubic feet |
| 1 Secondary figures apply to the Maybach 62 Zeppelin | |
| 2 Preliminary figures | |
| 3 Stated rates of acceleration are based upon manufacturer's track results and may vary depending upon model, environmental and road surface | |
| 4 Electronically governed | |