Extreme tire-testing prompts a new car design
Maybach was inspired by the company's past history and connection to Fulda. In 1938, the W38 Stromlinienfahrzeug was produced for the same type of tire testing.
Maybach gave the enormous task of coming up with a plan to students at the Pforzheim Design Academy. Eventually, a design by a student, Fredrik Burckhardt, was chosen as the prototype.
Fulda was more concerned about the ability of the car to handle the 315 mm-thick tires at high speeds than he was about aesthetics. The tire company wanted a heavy car able of withstanding the extreme tests it had in mind.
The result was an incredible and visually streamlined vehicle that could attain an unbelievable speed of 217 mph.
Since the tires were central to the purpose of the car, the Maybach Exelero was built around the tires. This allowed the car to have an outrageous body span of more than 7 feet.
The car was fitted with larger turbos as well as intercoolers and a huge radiator. Add 110 octane race fuel and the Exelero was able to almost fly with 691 bhp and 752 lb-ft of torque.
Where is the Maybach Exelero now?
Since Maybach had no plans to produce the Exelero, they decided to put it up for sale immediately after the testing was successfully conducted.
The asking price was set at an exorbitant 5,000,000 Euros. It was quickly snatched up by diamond industrialist, Andre Action Diakite Jackson, who later lent it to rapper Jay-Z.
Jay-Z featured the over-the-top Exelero in several of his music videos, helping to raise its value to an even higher $8,000,000. That price didn't stop other wealthy collectors from coveting the extravagant car.
Where is the Maybach Exelero now? The one-off concept car seems to be in the hands of Frank Rickert, the founder of Mercedes-Benz's Mechatronik. What started as a durability test for Fulda's super big tires, ended up being the creation of the one-of-a-kind Exelero. For those who appreciate innovative car designs, there is nothing wrong with that.
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