Mad, bad, 350 km/h Maybach
Thursday May 19, 2005
Maybach, in conjuction with Fulda, a German tyre manufacturer, have produced a mobile test-bed for a new high-performance tyre. The incredible Maybach Exelero is massive, powerful, fast and menacing. Unfortunately, it isn't destined for production.
The front-engined Exelero uses a Maybach-derived 5.9 litre V12 with twin turbochargers - a unit developed from the standard Maybach V12 powerplant by engineers at Mercedes Car Group, the engine think-tank for Mercedes-Benz and Maybach vehicles. Boring out a Maybach V12 to 83 mm (from the original 81 mm) and stroking it to 91 mm (from 87 mm) produced a 5908 cc engine, an increase of 395 cc. Further modifications to the turbocharging system bumped power from 550 PS to 700 PS, and torque from 900 nm to an astounding 1020 nm.
The Fulda tyres sit on massive 23-inch rims. The tyres are 315/25 ZR 23 front and rear. They proved capable of holding together when the 2.6 tonne car was travelling at over 350 km/h, driven by none other than Klaus Ludwig.
Had Maybach and Fulda decided to produce this astounding machine, they may well have had an unexpected hit on their hands.
The front-engined Exelero uses a Maybach-derived 5.9 litre V12 with twin turbochargers - a unit developed from the standard Maybach V12 powerplant by engineers at Mercedes Car Group, the engine think-tank for Mercedes-Benz and Maybach vehicles. Boring out a Maybach V12 to 83 mm (from the original 81 mm) and stroking it to 91 mm (from 87 mm) produced a 5908 cc engine, an increase of 395 cc. Further modifications to the turbocharging system bumped power from 550 PS to 700 PS, and torque from 900 nm to an astounding 1020 nm.
The Fulda tyres sit on massive 23-inch rims. The tyres are 315/25 ZR 23 front and rear. They proved capable of holding together when the 2.6 tonne car was travelling at over 350 km/h, driven by none other than Klaus Ludwig.
Had Maybach and Fulda decided to produce this astounding machine, they may well have had an unexpected hit on their hands.
