A big ‘barge Maybach 62, seen in China’s capital Beijing back in February 2011. The 62 was in a great shape, painted in a dark shade of black with a white stripe over the side. Thee was nobody inside, not even a driver, but it had the window open.
A Hyundai Elantra taxi wasting my shot.
The Maybach 62 was a super long limousine produced from 2002 until 2013. At the time, it was the ultimate luxury sedan, beating even Rolls-Royce. The 62 model was the long-wheelbase variant. Maybach also made a short-wheelbase car called the Maybach 57.
The Maybach 62 had a length of 6.165 millimeter. In China, that length qualified it as a commercial vehicle, hence the yellow license plates instead of standard blue. Size: 6165/1980/1573, with a crazy 3827 wheelbase. All was big about the Maybach!
The engine too: a 6.0 liter twin-turbocharged V12 with an output of 551 hp and 900 Nm. Power went to the rear wheels via an automatic 5-speed gearbox. Top speed was limited at 250 km/h and the enormous machine needed only 5.4 seconds to sprint from 0 to 100. Fuel consumption was a little steep, the 62 drunk 15.9 liters of gasoline every 100 kilometers.
The Maybach 62 with two laowai (foreigners) looking for a taxi.
The Maybach 62 and 57 were officially sold in China but they are quite rare. The brand just wasn’t very well-known and sky high pricing didn’t help. Back in 2011, the 62 model sold for 6.18 million yuan.