Topless Maybach rekindles a forgotten genre

It's been trounced by Bentley and Rolls-Royce in the ultra-premium stakes, but Mercedes-Benz's Maybach offshoot isn't sitting on its hands.

The mega-snooty marque has just pulled the wraps off the Landaulet concept, a design study that recreates a genre not seen for several decades.

True to the tradition of exclusive landaulets, the roof of the gargantuan concept can be opened fully at the rear, while the chauffeur's compartment remains completely enclosed.

In the words of its maker: "The passengers are then able to enjoy the clear, blue sky above. Seated in opulent armchairs upholstered in white leather, they are treated to a majestic open-air experience currently unrivalled by any other automobile in an environment of the utmost luxury and exquisite style."

There's no doubting the car's opulence as the rear compartment is sumptuously bedecked in white leather, piano lacquer and exquisite black granite

The Landaulet is derived from the Maybach 62 S, which its manufacturer claims to be the world's most powerful series-produced chauffeured saloon.

Thanks to twin turbochargers and water intercooling, the Landaulet's 6.0-litre V12 thumps out 450kW and an absurd 1000Nm between 2000 and 4000rpm.

The electronically controlled air suspension AIRMATIC DC (Dual Control) and Adaptive Damping System (ADS II) are claimed to endow the Landaulet with outstanding levels of ride comfort without sacrificing agility -- well, as much agility as one can expect of a vehicle that stretches over 6m from bumper to bumper.

It's equipped with two electro-hydraulic Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC) braking systems working in tandem, and this is complemented by electronic aids such as ESP, ASR, ABS and Brake Assist.

Although the rear half of the roof has been dispensed with, the B and C-pillars remain, and these have been invisibly reinforced with an integral tubular steel structure.

As a result, the "generously dimensioned doors and the complete interior with its reclining seats remain unchanged," says Maybach.

When closed, the black soft-top of the Landaulet rests on the frame formed by the roof bows, and is wind and weather-proof (you'd certainly hope so, given the expected price of the car).

When requested by the passengers, the chauffeur can open the roof electro-hydraulically via a button. It is then deposited on the parcel shelf in the rear, together with its integral rear window of single-layer safety glass. Opening and closing the roof takes 16 seconds.

The chauffeur is able to enclose the folded roof with a fitted leather cover, which both conceals the roof mechanism from view and completes the overall picture of outstanding elegance.

The individual rear seats allow even very tall passengers to enjoy a reclining position -- a facility travellers normally only encounter in the first-class armchairs of modern passenger jets, boasts Maybach.

The study is designed as a chauffeured vehicle and features a partition. The upper section of the partition is a glass panel that the passengers can render opaque at the touch of a button, thanks to a liquid crystal membrane embedded in the glass.

Maybach says the two ultra-modern automatic climate control systems, whose parameters have been adapted to the Landaulet study, ensure that open-air travel remains a pleasure even under adverse climatic conditions.

Well, perhaps the age-old request of "Home, James" could be amended to "Take the long way home, James" in the case of the Landaulet. That is, of course, if it ever makes it to production.

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