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