Zenvo Automotive was founded in 2004 and the prototype for the Zenvo ST1 was completed in December of 2008. Production of the 15 cars began in 2009. That’s right. Only fifteen. Jensen and Vollertsen believe that, unlike the fifty or so Bugattis that are produced annually, limiting the Zenvo ST1 to a run of fifteen reminds owners that their car is unique.

It’s not easy to create an original, luxury sports car. But that’s what Jensen and Vollertsen set out to do, and the succeeded. Designed and built completely in Demark, the ZenvoST1 has an impressive list of mechanical specifications and its appearance is the pure result of Danish design. Blend this together and you get a luxury car that’s both practical and purposeful.

The Zenvo ST1 has a 7-liter V8 engine that produces 1250 horsepower which propels the car from 0 to 62 mph in less than three seconds. While the car could potentially go faster, it’s electronically limited to max out at 233 mph. But more than just speed the Zenvo ST1 has an ultra-light body and includes such features as hydraulic height-control, carbon wheels, handmade finished leather interior, triple-mode driving settings and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

The Zenvo ST1 has a unique style. The front of the Zenvo ST1 is designed around the hexagonal trademark Zenvo grille. The boomerang-shaped vents on the grille, hoods and sides help create a very geometric appearance. The front grille design is repeated in the rear.

Inside you’ll find the latest in interiors. The AC has a dual-zone climate control. The electric seats are trimmed in leather and alcantara. Built into the dash is an MP-3 compatible stereo with built in satellite navigation, a heads-up display and power windows. The Zenvo ST1 includes remote fuel filler, a rear defogger and adjustable driver’s seat. Keyless entry is included along with a power scoping steering wheel. Granted many of these you’d expect in your standard drive-off-the-lot vehicle. But when wrapped in a frame like the Zenvo ST1 even the normal takes on a special feeling.

It’s really not likely that you can expect to see the Zenvo ST1 in the student drop-off lane at the middle school. In fact, with only 15 produced, seeing it in person anywhere isn’t all that likely. So, it’s not the most popular or the best known super car. But that’s not because the folks at Zenvo aren’t working like crazy to change that perception.

The cost of the Zenvo ST1 is about $1,800,000. If you want the extras like ceramic brakes, paddle-shifting transmission, carbon wheels, a roll-cage, a car cover and customized leather interior, you’re going to have to pay more. But come on, if you’re already approaching a cost of nearly two million are you really going to try to cut corners?

If you are, then you should consider that replacement tires alone for this beauty will set you back about $5,000. Or the specialized luggage for the front-situated trunk is about $30,000.

And don’t forget to add into that the cost of your second, perhaps not as sporty car, that you’ll need when you have to ship the Zenvo ST1 back to Denmark for any major repairs, and that’s not included in your warranty.

Still, if you have the big bucks and you want the expensive toys, the Zenvo ST1 might be the car for you.

Developed in 2002 using Formula One technology, the Ferrari Enzo was named after the company founder and was established to commemorate Ferrari’s first formula one title of the new millennium. The Enzo was designed Ken Okuyama who formerly headed up Japanese Pininfarina. The car was initially introduced at the 2002 Motor Show in Paris. Pininfarina wanted a car that was distinctly different from the GTO, F40 and F50. The Enzo is a mid-engine vehicle that has variable valve timing and dual overhead cams.

The Enzo is an extreme super sports car and the racing capabilities are hard for an enthusiast to resist. But while the Enzo may be the car of dreams, actually owning one may be a dream that never comes through. There were only 399 manufactured.

Actually in the beginning only 349 cars were going to be built. These all sold before production began and after many requests, Ferrari agreed to produce an additional fifty units. Before the Enzo was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, the car was flown from Italy to California to the set of Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. Actress Demi Moore got to drive the car on the beach. Then it was flown to Paris for the Motor Show.

Because of that, it’s not very likely that you’ll see the Enzo driving down the freeway. More than likely owners have them safely stored away in their garages until they can transport the car to wide open spaces with no other cars around.

With a semi-automatic transmission, the Enzo uses paddles to control an automated shifting and clutch mechanism. LED lights on the steering wheel tell the driver when to change gears. The Enzo has 19-inch wheels and 15-inch Brembo disc brakes. Tires are the Bridgestone Potenza Scuderia RE050A tires. The Enzo can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.14 seconds and is able to reach 100 mph in 6.6 seconds.

Motor Trend Classic named the Enzo as their number four pick on their list of “Greatest Ferraris of all time,” and in 2005, Sports Car International named the Enzo Ferrari number three on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 2000s. But it hasn’t all been favorable. Bloomberg Businessweek named the Enzo one of the “Fifty Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years,” saying the curves and angles were too flashy.

Enzo Ferrari who founded the company always felt that the design of road cars should come from the racers. To him it was logical that the company’s latest creation should carry his name. So Ferrari set out to develop the Enzo as an integrated design system for extreme performance. In the Enzo, style came from function as Pininfarina wanted to create an uncompromising car that would break away from the approach used for the GTO, F40 and F50 that preceded it.

The main goal in the Enzo project was to reduce gear change times down to 150 milliseconds. To do this the F1 gear levers are made of carbon, with an optimized shape and size. They have been made symmetrical by transferring the direction indicator controls to the steering wheel spokes. The maximize safety; the car is equipped with a system to measure tire pressure through special sensors inside the wheel rims. These sensors transmit a signal that is transmitted to the instrument panel.

Of his creations and of the Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari once said “The Ferrari is a dream – people dream of owning this special vehicle and for most people it will remain a dream apart from for those lucky few.”

• A W-16 engine that can produce 1,001 horsepower
• A top speed of 250+ mph
• A zero-to-60 time of three seconds
• A zero-to-180 time of 14 seconds
• A price tag somewhere in the $2,400,000 for the Bugatti Veyron Super Sports.

Okay, so maybe you don’t really want the price tag.  But you have to admit the Veyron is one stylish car.  The interior is almost completely leather, the dash, the seats, the floor and sides are all leather.  But more than that the Bugatti Veyron Super Sports is the most expensive, yet legal street car available today.

The Veyron is named for racing driver Pierre Veyron who won the 24 hours of the Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the Bugatti Company.  Designed specifically for the Volkswagen group The Bugatti Veyron was first launched in 2005.

There’s no hood on the Veyron, but if there was one to look under you would find an 8.0 liter, quad-turbocharged, W16 cylinder engine.  That’s equivalent to two narrow angle V8 engines.  Each cylinder had four valves for a total of sixty four.  However, the configuration of the staggered V8 allows two overhead camshafts to drive two banks of cylinders, so only for camshafts are actually needed.

Because it burns about 1.33 gallons of gasoline per minute, the Veyron has a massive radiator to deal with the excessive heat.    The unique transmission has to harness about twice as much torque as previous sports cars, so it has seven gears, a dual clutch system, sequential shifting, a paddle-driven, computer controlled shifting system.

A special key is required to “unlock” the Veyron’s top speed of 250+ mph. The car is then lowered to just 3.5 inches from the ground. A hydraulic spoiler extends at speed, and it can also serve as an air brake.

Even the tires on the Veyron are unique.  To handle the stress of driving at 250 mph they’re specially designed by Michelin.  They need to be sticky like those on a race car, but they also need to last longer than the 70 or so miles of a typical race tire.  So, they’re designed for about 10,000 miles of normal use.

The tires Michelin created to handle the Veyron’s unique requirements measure 14.4 inches in the rear, and 9.5 inches in the front.  The rims are about 20 inches in diameter.  In other words, they’re massive and are actually the widest tires ever produced for a passenger car.

The tires use the Michelin PAX system which monitors the pressure automatically.  Michelin says the run-flat detection system “plays an integral role in active safety in PAX System.  Its role is to inform you of a loss of pressure, either gradual or sudden.  When PAX warns you of a leak, you can reduce speed and head to an appropriate tire repair center.  The unique thing about the PAX system is that the run-flat ability eliminates the need for a spare tire.

But take care of your tires if you buy one of these, because they’re replaceable at $42,000 per set.  So take the SUV when you’re just running to the market for milk and bread.

The Bugatti Veyron was named the Car of the Decade (2000-2009) by the BBC television show Top Gear.

The Veyron is manufactured at Bugatti’s HQ (Château Saint Jean in Molsheim, Alsace, France).  While the car was commissioned by Volkswagen, the Veyron is sold only through the Bugatti manufacturer and cannot be found at any Volkswagen dealer.

More images from the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, the World’s Most Expensive Car

More than just a fast car, the McLaren F1 has made its mark in automotive history.  The engineering of the McLaren F1 when it was released was a watershed moment in the automotive industry.

In 1994, in a road test Auto Car said that “The McLaren F1 is the finest driving machine yet built for the public road.” and that “The F1 will be remembered as one of the great events in the history of the car, and it may possibly be the fastest production road car the world will ever see.”

The McLaren F1 was design by Gordon Murray who had also designed Formula 1 cars for Brabham and McLaren.  The blueprint of the car was simple: light, streamlined and with a host of technologies other manufacturers took decades to match.

The time tested formula for performance vehicles is a combination of high power and low rate.  The McLaren F1 was the first production car to use a monocoque chassis made from carbon fiber.  Additionally other car components such as the body, interior and more were made from lightweight materials such as carbon fiber, titanium and Kevlar.

With a unique three-seater configuration, the driver is situated in the center with the two passenger seats flanked behind.  This gives the driver maximum visibility.

Wanting a naturally aspirated engine that would be more reliable and easy to manipulate, Murray and the McLaren team chose a BMW-design 60.0 liter V12 engine that generates 627 horsepower.  Knowing a powerful engine generates a lot of heat, McLaren had the engine compartment plated with gold foil as insulation.

The McLaren F1 set a standard in the sports car industry featuring many innovative techniques that were way ahead of its time.  Gordon Murray had indeed succeeded in building the ultimate road car.  In all, 106 cars were manufactured with some variations in the design.

Production of the McLaren F1 stopped in 1998, but McLaren still maintains an extensive support and service network.  Throughout the world there are eight authorized service centers.  On occasion, McLaren will actually fly a specialized technician to the owner of the car.  All of these technicians have undergone extensive training in the service of the McLaren F1.  If there is major structural damage, the car can be returned to McLaren for repair.

Super cars are often the choice of hobby or indulgence of celebrities.  Rowan Atkinson of Mr. Bean fame is no exception.  But in August, 2011, the comedian had an unfortunate encounter with his McLaren F1 when he met up unexpectedly with a tree and a lamp-post.  No, this wasn’t a seen from his latest Mr. Bean movie.  Fortunately, he walked away from the crash with an injured shoulder.  The car however, wasn’t so lucky.

Atkinson bought the maroon McLaren F1 following the success of the Mr. Bean movie.  Apparently the accident happened when he spun off the wet road and hit the tree and lamp post.

Just a few weeks prior on BBC’s Top Gear show, Atkinson had clocked the fastest guest star lap on the show.  He said of the McLaren F1, “You’ve got to live with it.  I have lived with it for 14 years. I’ve done a lot of miles in it.  I’ve done 37,000 miles, which for a McLaren is a lot.”

Atkinson is reported to own a 1980s Aston Martin V8 Zagato, an Audi A8 and, a Honda Civic Hybrid.

In 2004 a prototype based on a Lamborghini Diablo replica chassis was equipped with a Corvette C5R engine and the same 6 speed manual gearbox from the Dodge Viper.  This eventually led to the birth of the SSC Aero in 2006.

The SSC Ultimate Aero is a better, modified version of the Aero.  On September 13, 2007, the SSC Ultimate Aero made a run for the record.  It reached an average top speed of 265 mph, enough to obtain the world record it held for almost 3 years until the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport hit 267 mph. Truth be told, the Volkswagen Group built the Veyron Super Sport for the explicit purpose of winning the record back. That alone is a great testament to the awesomeness of the SSC Ultimate Aero.  To which Jerod Shelby said “No, our new car isn’t a response to Bugatti, because we didn’t know they’d break the record again. But their timing is exactly right for us as we’re about to launch the car that will get it back.”  That’s confidence.

With that same confidence, an increase of 15% in horsepower was added by the Shelby Super Car team to the 2009 Ultimate Aero, along with a revamped front fascia design as well as a list of interior upgrades.  Of the changes, most notable is an SSC designed 1-piece billet aluminum engine block.  This is a milestone for the limited production automobile manufacturer.  The new block improves the structural integrity as well as the oiling capabilities.  This allowed the SSC to boost the power output to 1287 horsepower while simultaneously improving durability.

It might be realistic to think that a car that was designed with the main purpose being speed would be skimpy with the amenities.  That’s just not the case with the SSC Ultimate Aero.  The interior is leather and suede and comes with air conditioning and a ten speaker audio system.  The navigation system is complete with a rear-view camera, important since there’s no rear-view mirror on the windshield.

The SSC has an amazing potential that just can’t be denied.  With a history of once being the world’s ultimate car, the SSC Ultimate Aero will remain one of the best super cars to ever have existed.

In July of 2011 Shelby Super Cars announced that the successor to the Ultimate Aero would be named the Tuatara.  In November of that same year SSC North America, announced a new corporate identity strategy which more clearly identifies itself as a North American super car manufacturer.

Jerod Shelby, Founder and Lead Designer, said “We have always wanted to focus on the pride associated with being an American built supercar and the timing is right.  We have previously launched the Tuatara in both Shanghai and Pebble Beach and these two events in Dubai and Macau ensure the appropriate branding we are hoping to achieve for our company worldwide.”

That’s a laudable goal to have.  But besting the speed of the Veyron Super Sport probably wouldn’t hurt too much either.

Fast forward to 2008, and the Aston Martin One-77 is unveiled at the Paris Motor Show.  It was a work of art.

The Aston Martin One-77 is a two-door coupé built that has its beauty and power all in One, but only 77 were made.  Each model is different due to a unique customization system.   That’s perfectly understandable since the Aston Martin One-77 carries a convenient price tag of about $1,850,000.  But seriously, if you’re looking for a one of a kind luxury automobile, why quibble about price?  Unfortunately, in April, 2012, the last one was reportedly sold.  Aston Martin isn’t really in a hurry to produce more; after all it took 70 years for the British firm to sell its first 10,000 vehicles.

When the Aston Martin One-77 was commissioned the goal was to build the best, most technically advanced and, of course, fastest car Aston could create as well as to advance new technology for future models.

Director of Design Marek Reichman said that the goal was “To create a car closer to art than the automobile.  That was the aim.”

The Aston Martin One-77 features hand crafted aluminum paneling and a carbon fiber monocoque chassis.  Under the hood of an Aston Martin One-77 is a 7.3 liter V12 engine that can travel from 0 to 60 in 3.4 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 220 mph.  Because of the amazing performance and because the brakes have less time to cool between bursts of acceleration, Aston Martin paid close attention to the brake cooling. At speeds like that, you need sophisticated braking.  With the Carbon Ceramic Matrix, the calipers are made so that minimal heat will come from the brake pads to the brake fluid.

The length of the Aston Martin One-77 is similar to that of the DBS and DB9.  But you’ll find that the whole car is lower and the wheelbase is almost two inches longer.  The doors to the One-77 open out and slightly up.  Inside you’ll find low seats and double-stitched leather.  The seat is low and deep.

The Aston Martin One-77 has received several internationally design awards including “Best Design” from the UK Auto Express magazine, the “Good Design” award by the Chicago Athenauem: Museum of Architecture and Design in North America, and the Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes.

If you can’t afford the actual car, you can “drive” in several different video games including Forza Motorsport 3 and Forza Motorsport 4, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and others.

When describing the car, Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez says, “One-77 expresses all the ingenuity that Aston Martin has acquired in recent years. It is the culmination of all the beauty and emotion that we can bring into the car and by this, it is an expression of what Aston Martin stands for.”

Aston Martin is one of the world’s best producers of sophisticated and luxury automobiles.  Their new Vienna showroom is the largest Aston Martin dealership in Europe.  And for the lucky owners of the One-77, Aston Martin keeps in constant contact.

The Agera R is powered by a 5.0L VA Twin Turbo engine and can run on multiple fuel types including bio-fuels as well as regular 95 octane gas.  Koenigsegg was one of the first to work toward green technology and the use of bio-fuels beginning in 2007.

The Koenigsegg’s Triplex rear suspension connects a shock absorber and coil spring to each rear wheel.  This allows the car to be raised or lowered on demand to achieve the desired height.  To increase performance, Koenigsegg introduce a dynamic rear wing to the Agera.  Wings that lift automatically at high speeds are available in many sports cars.  But the Agera R wing uses the pressure of winds at high speeds to reduce wind resistance by forcing the wing downward.  This is lighter and less cumbersome than in other sports cars and allows for the ability to instantly compensate for headwind or tailwinds.

The tires on the Agera R were specifically made for it by Michelin.  These fit on wheels specifically designed to act as air-turbines that cool the brakes.  The spokes and middle of the wheels are in one piece with the rest of the wheel but are completely hollow.  This weight reduction makes an enormous difference when it comes to performance.  Koenigsegg says, “Simply put, reducing the rotational mass not only gives less unsprung weight and a lighter car, but it also increases the dynamic power that goes into the ground while accelerating or braking.”

The Agera R has a detachable and storable hardtop, making this roadster a combination of performance and usability.  The interior of the Agera R is as luxurious and comfortable as you would expect.  The Agera is available in left or right hand drive.  Other Options include: fitted luggage, special leather and colors, fully visible carbon fiber body panels, Inconel exhaust, front winglets, rear-view camera, heated seats, a ski box for the roof and a winter wheel package. At a manufacturer’s suggested retail price in excess of $1,611,000, a few options are a nice thing to have.

The 2013 version of the Agera R adds new features and solutions to enhance both appearance and performance.  These include the new Aero exhaust, new front side winglets, and the revolutionary Aircore carbon fiber wheels as well as increased power that raises the top speed to 273 mph.  The new front winglets give more down force but also reduce drag.

Koenigsegg makes these improvements with a determination to counter the supremacy of the Bugatti brands and the Agera R is in direct response to the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport which already has a recorded top speed of 267 mph.

Koenigsegg’s company philosophy is focused solely on performance.  Koenigsegg says “Nothing is insignificant. The way we choose our raw materials, our staff, the setup of our facilities, our software, tools, systems and maintenance. Everything. Every aspect of the development process is focused on performance, not only in terms of power and speed, but in every deliverable. From powertrain to safety – every part must enable the car to deliver the best possible performance.”  This commitment shows in the way the Agera R is magnificently hand crafted with great attention to detail.

Sometimes words like “awesome” and “extreme” get overused and tend to lose their meaning.  But that’s not the case with Koenigsegg’s Agera R.  Awesome and extreme just begin to describe this amazing vehicle.

The name tells you how many were produced and how many chances you have of actually owning one.  That is, of course, providing there’s one available for resale, since the initial five all sold out.  Tonight Show host and comedian Jay Leno owns a Zonda, and frequently talks about his love for luxury cars.  But according to his website, he doesn’t appear to be one of the lucky five owners of this beauty.

The very name Zonda just sounds cool, and fast.  The name comes from Argentina and an air current found on the eastern slope of the Andes.  Horacio Pagani is Italian but was born in Argentina.   Formula One champion, Juan Manuel Fangio was involved in the initial Zonda engineering.  Plans were for the hybrid car to be named “Fangio F1” in his honor.  But the super car was renamed after the Argentinean air current after Fangio’s death in 1995.

Pagani patterned the Zonda Cinque Roadster after the Modenese Atelier.  Pagani relies on Mercedes Benz power plant manufacturing.  The design of the Zonda was influenced by jet fighters as well as the line of Silver Arrow Group C automobiles produced by Sauber-Mercedes.

The Zonda Cinque Roadster is made of carbo-titanium material which is a carbon fiber interwoven with titanium threads.  The chassis was redesigned to compensate for no roof.

It’s almost too difficult to accurately describe this car.  Silver with red accents and spoked mag wheels it combines the beauty of art with the genius of engineering to create one of the most unique and fastest automobiles in the world.  If you own the Roadster you can dream of a relaxing country drive in the hills of Tuscany or a romantic drive around other parts of Italy.  Reality is, you can dream of those without the Roadster, but owning one might make it a possibility.

The Roadster features a hand built super twin engine that will go from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds and reach 217 miles per hour.  The engine also features a Bosch engineering designed ECU and traction control system and is connected to a Cima six-speed sequential transmission with differing drive modes which delivers the power to the rear wheels. The car has an inconel/titanium exhaust system coated with ceramic and magnesium and titanium suspension.

A car like this needs to be able to stop when you want it to, so Pagani equipped the Zonda Cinque Roadster with carbon-ceramic brakes from Brembo.  Six piston calipers grip 380MM discs up front with four piston calipers in the back.

Pagani Composite Research was founded in 1988 by Horacio Pagani, who formerly managed Lamborghini’s composites.  In 1991, to meet the increasing demand for his engineering and design services, Pagani created Modena Design.    Pagani is known for developing high-class and fast cars.

About the Roadster, Pagani says, “Just like all the other models, the Zonda Cinque Roadster perfectly fulfills the Pagani team philosophy, which can be summarized in the perfect combination between art and technology, achieved through a meticulous research for effective project strategies and innovative design solutions.”

When talking about the Zonda Cinque Roadster Inside Line says, “Once you’ve seen the Zonda Cinque Roadster, it might be tough to climb back into your old Mustang ragtop.”

Designed and created at the birthplace of Lamborghini cars in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, the Lamborghini Reventon was developed by the company’s car experts and experts from Centro Stile.  Together they created a super class automobile with no equals.  Of the twenty original cars, eleven ended up in the United States, one in the garage of Jay Leno.

Following Lamborghini tradition, the Reventon is named for a fighting bull which was raised by the Don Heriberto Rodriguez family.  The bull was renowned for killing Felix Guzman, a famed Mexican bullfighter in 1943.  When used as a noun in Spanish Reventon means “small explosion” or “burst.”  It also can mean a very large party or a night on the town.  But in automobile terms it means “blowout” as in flat tire.  But in naming the bull it was used as an adjective, describing a quality of the bull, meaning “he who seems about to burst.”

The design of the car’s front is an acute angled arrow built to improve the air intake and cool down the twelve cylinder calipers and carbon disk brakes.  One of the other great things is that this design improves the aerodynamics and interior cooling system.  The front of the car is outfitted with state of the art light-emitting diodes and Bi-Xenon headlines.  Likewise, the rear has seven LED lights and ten diodes making up the hazard and signal lights.

Inside, leather, aluminum, carbon and Alcantra are carefully selected to ensure top quality befitting of this car.

While the exterior is new, internally most of the elements are sourced directly from the Murciélago LP640.  Lamborghini says that the styling of the exterior was inspired by some of the fastest airplanes.  To prove the point, Lamborghini staged a race between a Reventon and a Panavia Tornado fighter plane.  The Reventon led down most of the 1.9 mile long runway, but the Tornado pulled ahead in the last few feet of the race.

A Lamborghini trademark is the manufacture of extreme super cars without compromise.  Stephan Winkelmann, Chairman and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, S.P.A. says “the Reventon is the most extreme of them all, a true automotive superlative. Our designers at the Lamborghini Style Center took the technical base of the Murcielago LP640 and compressed and intensified its DNA, its genetic code.”

The doors on the Reventon open upwards and there are large spoilers below the doors.  On the driver’s side the spoiler helps increase the flow of oil to the radiator.  On the other side the spoiler is flat because its purpose is to ensure air flow under the floor.

Inside the speedometer resembles a road with the current speed in digital format.  But with the push of a button the driver can switch to a quasi-analogical classic display.

Lamborghini has from the beginning been at the forefront of creating trends in the world of sports cars.  The company has consistently produced automobiles with a clear, unmistakable character and quality.  Every new Lamborghini carries with it the potential to become legendary.  And, as the production of these outstanding cars is often limited they are also destined to become highly sought-after automobiles.

The Lamborghini Reventon is no exception to this fine tradition.  Like a long line before it, the Reventon stands a super car with few, if any equals.  By combining a near perfect design with a limited edition Lamborghini has created another recipe for success.  And into the pages of Lamborghini history the legend continues with the entry of another classic.

Not just for business types, there’s a certain romantic quality about being able to ride in the open air with an unobstructed view of the sky and yet have privacy from your driver.  And there’s no need to worry about inclement weather.  The roof can open or close in just 16 seconds.  When it’s time for the roof to close, the black soft-top of the Maybach Landaulet rests on the roof frame allowing the passengers to ride in weather-proof, wind-free comfort.

A state of the art communication system allows the rear passenger to control the audio, video and phone with a remote control.  That includes a DVD player, a single-feed 6-disc CD changer, and dual 9.5 inch video monitors.  But the driver also has the ability to control these by voice command.  Every Maybach comes with a lifetime subscription to SIRIUS Satellite Radio.  To enhance that sound twenty-one speakers and a maximum output of 600 watts create a unique surround-sound experience.

Adding to the convenience in the rear center console is a thermostatically controlled refrigerator that comes, believe it or not, as a no cost option.  Also included are folding tables, and two champagne flutes hand-polished in 925 sterling silver.  The simple fact is that the Landaulet is the very definition of luxury and is one of the closest things you can find to a mobile hotel room.

Providing the best in comfort, the seats are upholstered in white Grand Nappa leather and both the front and rear seats in the Maybach are heated.  In contrast, the interior of the chauffeur section is black, but for the driver, that’s a distinction, but not a step down from style and comfort.

Shoulder straps adjust automatically to the height of the driver or passenger, enhancing safety as well as comfort.  But bringing an outstanding level of safety, the reclining seats in the Maybach Landaulet include a crash-responsive backrest and a belt-force limiter allowing passengers to be fully protected even while the seats are reclined.

Powering the Maybach Landaulet is the V12 engine developed by Maybach engineers for the Maybach 57 S and Maybach 62 S.  Twin turbochargers and water intercooling help the V12 deliver a maximum output of 620 horsepower.

A key benefit of the Maybach’s Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC) is the ability to modulate the brake pressure for each individual wheel allowing for a quicker response time and optimum braking effect.

The Maybach can also be unlocked by touching the door handle when you carry the electronic key with you. There’s no need to insert a key to start the engine – just push the button on the gearshift lever and the Type 12 power plant comes to life.

When it comes to the production of high-quality, luxury cars the Maybach Landaulet also benefits from the superior experience of their sister brand, Mercedes-Benz.   Standard equipment in the Landaulet are important innovations successfully developed by Mercedes-Benz including things like the AIRMATIC DC (Dual Control) electronically controlled air suspension, the LINGUATRONIC voice control system and the COMAND APScontrol and display system.

It was more than 100 years ago when Wilhelm Maybach heralded the modern era by building the Opus No. 1, or the first Mercedes.  Today, Maybach is still remembered as the “king of the design engineers,” and with the Landaulet, that legacy continues.