The Maybach Exelero is a one-off coupé unveiled in 2005, built for the tyre maker Fulda to test a new generation of wide tyres. Made by Stola in collaboration with DaimlerChrysler on the platform of the Maybach 57, it has a twin-turbo V12 with 700 PS and reached 351.45 km/h in tests at Nardo, a figure that earned it the title of the world’s fastest limousine from New Atlas.
Maybach Exelero at a glance
| Unveiled | 2005, at the Tempodrom in Berlin |
|---|---|
| Built by | Stola, with DaimlerChrysler and Maybach |
| Commissioned by | Fulda, a German subsidiary of Goodyear, to test its Carat Exelero tyres |
| Based on | The Maybach 57 platform; styled after the 1938 Maybach SW 38 |
| Design | Four students of the Transportation Design School of Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences |
| Engine | Twin-turbo V12, 60° layout, three valves per cylinder; 515 kW (700 PS) at 5,000 rpm and 1,020 N·m at 2,500 rpm |
| Transmission | 5G-Tronic automatic |
| Performance | Top speed 351 km/h (218 mph); 0–100 km/h in 4.4 seconds |
| Wheels and tyres | 23-inch alloys; Fulda Carat Exelero 315/25 ZR 23 all round |
Specifications from English Wikipedia, which calls the top speed theoretical; New Atlas reports that the car reached 351.45 km/h in the initial Nardo tests. Wikipedia says the car is a one-off.
A tyre with its own car
Fulda had a habit of commissioning showpieces for its flagship tyres. The Exelero was the second show car for its high-performance range, after the Gemballa Extremo of 1996. Fulda’s brief was to build an ambassador for the new tyre generation with no limits on imagination or budget, and one firm requirement: the car had to exceed 350 km/h so that the physical limits of the tyres could be tested.
The idea also had a precedent. Fulda had used the 1938 Maybach SW 38 Sport Cabriolet for tyre tests in its time, and the Exelero was conceived as a modern interpretation of that streamlined 1930s sports car rather than a retro copy. The final design was produced by four students from Pforzheim, and the sports coupé took shape at the end of May 2004 after three model phases.
The car itself
Underneath the long bonnet and chrome grille sits a twin-turbo V12 built by Maybach. The interior is a mix of dark and red leather, neoprene, black carbon fibre and aluminium, with sport seats and red harness-style belts. New Atlas noted that the ambience of the Maybach has been retained internally, though little else is identical. Testing at the Nardo high-speed track in southern Italy showed a top speed of 351.45 km/h.
What came after
In 2007 Stola introduced the Phalcon, a two-door coupé inspired by the Exelero. Maybach’s other one-off creations and the marque’s history are in our Maybach archive, and more show cars are in the Luxury Cars collection.
Maybach Exelero questions and answers
Why was the Exelero built?
As a reference car for Fulda’s new Carat Exelero tyres, which had to be tested at speeds above 350 km/h.
How fast is it?
351 km/h (218 mph) according to Wikipedia; New Atlas reports 351.45 km/h in Nardo tests.
How many were made?
One. It is a unique custom model.
Is it a production Maybach?
No. It is built on the Maybach 57 platform but is a one-off show car.
Based on English Wikipedia and New Atlas (May 2005).
Sources
- Maybach Exelero, English Wikipedia: development, specifications, design team
- The 350 km/h 700 bhp Fulda Maybach Exelero, New Atlas (May 2005): the Fulda brief, the SW 38 and the Nardo tests
