1991 Mercedes-benz 560sel Base Sedan 4-door 5.6l on 2040-cars

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Project Maybach is an absurd, awesome off-road electric coupe

Mercedes has created some mighty unusual concepts for the Maybach luxury brand. The Exelero high-speed test car and the Ultimate Luxury SUV sedan come to mind. But the Project Maybach, designed in collaboration with late fashion designer Virgil Abloh, may be the wildest yet, being an electric off-road coupe. It's not just the fact it's a two-door off-road coupe. It's the fact that it's a nearly 20-foot-long two-door off-road coupe. And it has very traditional proportions and lines, with a gargantuan front end, and a somewhat less gargantuan rear end. It's squared-off, but in a more elegant, midcentury luxury car way than say, a Hummer. And of course, it has a huge chrome grille and highly embellished taillights, complete with Maybach logos. And yet, this old-school coupe sits high off the ground. It rolls on small, steel-style wheels with chunky tires. It even has skid plates, bolt-on fender flares, rock rails and a roll cage with a roof basket. It's all painted in a matte tan paint that makes it look like a desert-ready expedition vehicle. It's even arguably practical for expedition work. The somewhat spartan-looking interior has tan leather seats that recline fully flat for sleeping. Being an electric car with long areas unoccupied by people, plus that roof basket, it likely has loads of cargo space. On the hood are solar panels that might provide a bit of range, but would at least be handy for recouping some power for accessories. The interior seems to have additional storage bins and tools stowed in special compartments around the cabin. As for the actual performance and range, well, Mercedes has nothing specific. That's not entirely surprising, since this seems to be solely a design exercise. As such, don't expect to see a production model anytime soon. Then again, off-road luxury vehicles are certainly popular. Maybe Mercedes would consider it if there were enough seriously wealthy customers expressing interest. Related video:

Mercedes plotting E-Class Maybach, next A-Class for the US?

Mercedes-Benz has opened 2015 by hinting at a host of new products. Dieter Zetsche nudged the idea that there'll be a Maybach-branded SUV. AMG chief Tobias Moers told Motor Trend that "We want to be seen by the public on the same level as the other sports car maker in Germany" when asked if his crew was working on a car to rival the Porsche 918 Spyder. That and a few other tidbits have people thinking that we'll eventually see some sort of celestial AMG supercar. The latest handful of hints came from Mercedes USA CEO Steve Cannon during an interview on the marque's move to Atlanta. Cannon told Automotive News that we'd "see more from the Maybach brand," leaving the impression that there "could" be an E-Class draped in the superluxury trim. If such came to pass, there's plenty of pricing room between the E and the S-Class to slot a higher trim in. The top non-AMG E-Class starts at $62,350, the S-Class opens the bidding at $94,400. Even if you slapped the E-Class with the $23,000 premium it takes to make an S600 a Maybach S600, you've still got plenty of breathing room between the midsized and full-sized sedans. At the antipodal end, Cannon told AN that we could get a front-wheel-drive Mercedes smaller than anything here right now. That leaves the A-Class, since we've already got the B-Class. Getting the next-gen A-Class here would help with CAFE numbers, and since it will be built in the new factory in Aguascalientes, Mexico it won't have far to travel to get here. We're told it won't be like the current car, however; Cannon said, "The A-Class will change from what you have seen and from what you are used to." We hope that's a good thing, because we really like the current car. Related Video:

Sunday Drive: Classic American nameplates and one exciting new German

Our look back at last week's biggest automotive stories focuses first on the Jeep Wagoneer, an unequivocal American classic. Not only did the Wagoneer play a pivotal role in kicking off America's current love affair with the sport utility vehicle, it legitimized the Jeep brand in the mind of consumers looking not just for something to ably take them off the beaten path, but to do so in comfort, with the entire family along for the ride. So it comes as little surprise that Jeep decided to take one vintage Wagoneer, modernize it with a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine, and put the thing on display as part of its annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari. We're in love. Our next two stories focus on Cadillac. First up is news that the striking Escala Concept is headed for production in 2021 to serve as the brand's flagship luxury sedan. The second story involves Caddy's current top rung, the CT6, which gets a new twin-turbo V8 engine as part of its V-Sport package. And finally, we round out this look at last week's headlines with the 2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe and Cabriolet. We're mighty keen to try out Benz's new AMG-fettered turbocharged inline-six engine, and the C Coupe looks like a fine point of entry. As always stay tuned to Autoblog this week for all the latest automotive news. Jeep delivers basketful of concepts for the Moab Easter Jeep Safari Cadillac's striking Escala concept is reportedly headed for production Cadillac CT6 V-Sport wants to take prisoners with 550-hp 4.2L TT V8 2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe and Cabriolet revealed ahead of New York