This man must be mistaking because it was not in the 80's. I know for a fact that the Maybach prototype had 8 headlights but is was presented to the press in the 1997.
It was planned to go on sale as a Mercedes-Benz type Maybach (you can see the three pointed star on the nose) but after some secret previews for press and potential customers DaimlerChrysler decided to not make it a Mercedes-Benz but a Maybach.
That way the car would be more exclusive, positioned above Mercedes (right next to Rolls-Royce) and it would be a true incarnation of the traditional Maybach brand.

 

The car above is just a design study and was never used for actual testdriving.
Mechanical components were tested in W140 mules (as they call them).
These were stretched 600 SEL models with lots of body modifications. Look at the picture and you see there is no visual clue of the actual Maybach design yet.

 

For chassis and engine testing a W220 600 Pullman chassis was used.
On the 2001 Geneva Auto Show I interviewed the designer of the (then newly presented) Pullman and he didn't want to tell me if they were working on the Maybach with the same team. In that time Mercedes did not let out any details about the new car since Rolls-Royce was about to present the Phantom in the same period.
In a later interview with a Maybach spokesman I found out that my thoughts were right. Most of the knowledge gained in the production of the Pullman was used in the creation of the Maybach.

 

The latest prototypes used for final testing were actual Maybachs. In total more than 20 prototypes have been used to test various road and weather conditions around the globe.
Most were covered to hide the design from spy photographers but you can see the design closely resembles the 57 and 62 as we know them now.

 

Mucho informative!

 

Thank you very much.[]

 

I will walk away a smarter man.....

 

I have an article from 1990 with an artist rendering of a Maybach. I scanned it but couldn't paste the picture. Anyway, it's not a true '80s Maybach.

Though the 1980s Maybach was never made officially, I think they exist. An important Benz customer could have just commissioned a custom car from Mercedes and had it badged Maybach.

 

Storm. - 6/1/2005 8:06 PM

I will walk away a smarter man.....

my thoughts exactly.

 

well mayback was first produced in i think 1945..and then never produced again till 2001!!

 

Sorry but your information is far from correct. I already wrote a short article above about the new Maybach so I won't give a history lesson on top of that. I advise you to start googling on Maybach and don't forget the names Wilhelm and Karl. That will give you the right info, if you are interested that is of course.

 

God bless Wilhelm and Karl[]

 

Noodles - 8/9/2005 6:02 AM

God bless Wilhelm and Karl[]

Looks like He did that long time ago...

 

i hope someday names an entire line of cars "Droessler"s" or something.......like they they did for Hermann Maybach.......that would be cool allright......he IS very Blessed.......

 

irrelevant,
enjoy
sam