By 2012, the writing was on the wall for the Maybach brand. Daimler’s CEO Dieter Zetsche (remember Dr. Z?) announced that the final year of production as 2013 model years would be carried out before retiring the brand again. Only for it to be brought back as a trim level a few years later. So what did that mean?
During those final faithful years, Maybach rolled out the Zeppelin edition that would be limited to 100 units between the 57 and 62, although it wasn’t 50 cars each. The name was an ode to the pre-war models Maybach DS7 and Maybach DS8, which were as literally larger than most boats I’ve ridden in. All of these 100 examples got some special touches both inside and out, as well as configurated as an S model with the 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V12. Prices started at €406,000 for the 57, while the 62 Zeppelin began at €473,000. Absurd to say the least. Today, one would think that these depreciated down to their normal levels, but this example up for sale in Germany went a totally different direction. Hold on to your trousers.