Last year, at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Mercedes-Maybach took the covers off a gorgeous Vision 6 Concept. The German carmaker has returned to this year’s Pebble Beach, and this time with the drop-top variant of the same design study, christened the Mercedes-Maybach Vision 6 Cabriolet.
The Cabriolet Concept keeps all the stately lines of the previous concept but is finished in a ‘nautical blue metallic’ body paint. The imposing chrome-laden grille is made of vertical louvres and is flanked by a slender set of LED headlights. Measuring nineteen feet long, the Vision 6 Cabriolet rides on massive 24-inch multi-spoke, centre-locking wheels, finished in a ‘rose gold’ colour.
The silhouette crease which starts just above the front fenders runs all the way back to the tapering tail. The posterior of the concept car is grand, to say the least, with smooth flowing lines meeting in a ‘boat tail’ design. Mercedes states that this design is similar to that of a luxury yacht. The traditional motif of the two-seater cabriolet harks back to the stretched proportions and design principles of the luxury cars of 1940-50s.
The coach line ends right at the boot lid, where a strip of the LED tail lights runs all across the tip of the tail. There is a chrome strip at the bottom of the bumper accentuating the luxury feel of the concept. The crystal white Nappa leather soft-top creates an exciting contrast to the dark paint finish. This custom-made retractable fabric roof incorporates interwoven threads of gold.
The elegant appeal continues on the insides as well. The upholstery is a fine quilted leather one. The wooden floor with aluminium inlays, minimalistic cock-pit with blue surround (what the Mercedes calls a 360degree lounge) and the exotic materials further add to the nobility of the yacht-themed car. Another cabin highlight is the floating, transparent centre tunnel which visualises the drive system's electrical energy flow by the means of blue fibre optics.
Similar to the hardtop counterpart, the Vision 6 Cabriolet is powered by electric motors. Four motors, each driving a wheel, put down a total of 750 horsepower, accelerating the car to a 100kmph in under four seconds. Meanwhile, the top speed is electronically limited to a 250kmph. Mercedes also boasts of a range of over 500 kilometres (according to the NEDC).
Even though it’s still in a concept guise, the Vision 6 Cabriolet previews what the next Mercedes-Maybach convertible might look like in the coming years.
