Nowadays, coachbuilding is almost a “forgotten art” and that makes finding a bespoke-build car for sale a rare occurrence.
These type of automobiles are harder to find because nobody actually bothers to commission them anymore. Only a few select group of connoisseurs understand the process and the skill required by these type of services. That said, most of the wealthy people are interested in high-end tuner products, nowadays – which can be arguably classified as a form of coachbuilding.
But that doesn’t mean the art of old-school body manufacturing is dead. In fact, many models are still “altered” by prestigious design firms even today and many of the cars reach an iconic status fairly quick, while changing hands for an obscene amount of cash.
Modern coachbuilding is the art of fabricating a new body style for an uprising, distinct automobile that isn’t on top of the food chain, but its pedigree sill makes it eligible for being a future collectible. Case in point, this Maybach Xenatec.
Granted, some may consider Xenatec a tuner rather than a full fledged coachbuilder, but the firm actually had an interesting portfolio. Furthermore, who’s to say a tuning house can’t try its luck in building fully-bespoke, custom cars?
With only 3,000 Maybachs delivered over a 10-year period, you can say the German limousines are quite rare. Still, the only thing missing from the constructor’s line-up at the time was an opulent coupe to go along with the luxurious brand.
Xenatec wanted to build 200 Coupes based on the Maybach 57S, but eventually completed only six before it went into liquidation. The car for sale here is the last of the bunch and can be described as the rarest modern Maybach you can get your hands on. Sure, the price is a little steep – $1,240,001- but the car makes up in exclusivity. It’s currently listed for sale by a private owner on Auto Trader and it can be seen at the London Motor Museum.
The only question now is, will this Xenatec Maybch become a revered collectible and take its place among other illustrious coachbuilders, or will it remain just a converted and butchered 57S? Well, knowing that Xenatec constructed the cars using Daimler’s expertise and advice, we can be sure these exquisite automobiles are top notch – engineering wise and design wise. So yes, the car will probably grow into a highly-desirable collectible.
Moreover the Xenatec Maybach 57S Coupe was designed by Fredrik Burchhardt, the same man that penned the Maybach Exelero. So, you can probably say the coachbuild ‘Bach is the descendant of the all-mighty prototype.
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