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Driver's Notebook: Behind the Velvet Rope

Gregory Anderson

April 1, 2006

Confidence, alex mamlet says, is the most important ingredient in gaining VIP treatment. “You have to believe you’re going to get in, and to do that, you have to dress the part,” he explains. “If the people at the front door see you as ‘someone’–even though they have no idea who you are–they’re less likely to turn you away. Showing up in a limo or a very nice car definitely helps create that aura.”

Enter the Maybach 62, the motorized open invitation to any party.

The Maybach interior is chock full of goodies, not the least entertaining of which is the electrotransparent ceiling glass, which changes from clear to opaque with the click of a button. (Click image to enlarge)

Mamlet, alias Kid Protocol, is a professional party crasher who stars in his own documentary on the subject. He has turned slipping past security guards into an art form. He has gained uninvited access to the world’s most exclusive events, including the Cannes Film Festival, through a variety of ploys, such as what he calls the “upside-down guest list,” the “hottie diversion,” and the “look left, go right” technique. “Then there’s the half-filled Champagne glass,” he says, “which you carry to make it look like you just stepped out of the party for some fresh air. Works like a charm.”

You know you have arrived when red carpet treatment is not as much fun as your car. (Click image to enlarge)

So while we did not exactly crash the Producers Guild Awards–technically, my wife and I were invited guests of Volvo–we certainly had no compunction about pulling up to the red carpet and joining the festivities through the more exclusive VIP entrance. Our hosts had neglected to offer transportation to and from the event, so I was left to my own devices. A phone call to Mercedes-Benz secured the services of a Maybach 62 for a day, and because this particular car is best experienced from the rear seats, Mercedes was kind enough to provide both the carriage and the driver. Fait accompli.

Starting at $382,500, the 62 is a 6,340-pound limo powered by a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-12 engine with 543 hp, which propels it from rest to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds. But these figures are meaningless without the feel of the car, because the 62 is about more than the sum of its performance numbers: Its real value lies with intangibles, like the access it affords.

Considering the available op­tions, there are more than a million ways to “commission” a Maybach. The refrigerator in the console is a no-cost option. A solar-paneled roof, which cools the interior when the car is left in the sun, costs $2,150. Rear folding tables, made of Nappa leather and polished wood, add $4,350. If you want a partition between the front and rear of the cabin, prepare to pay $29,900.

Among the lengthy list of options, the sterling silver Champagne flutes and mini-fridge are must-have features. (Click images to enlarge)

At 6.2 meters in length–hence its name–and coincidentally 62 inches in height, the 62 is large on a scale that’s hard to imagine until you have stepped inside. The front and rear seats are more than 5 feet apart (or 62.8 inches, oddly enough). The rear doors are enormous, opening wide enough to make in­gress and egress events unto themselves. In fact, if you’re not quick with the automatic seat controls, your chauffeur will have your door open while your legs are still propped in the air, which makes it impossible to make a graceful exit. Imagine rolling out of bed in public.

But once the doors are closed, the interior of the Maybach is beyond comparison to anything short of a private jet. The car is an oasis of comfort and seclusion, with seats that recline and massage. The television screens–his and hers–tilt to a specified angle via remote control, and they are individually programmable, with separate wireless surround-sound headphones. Ambient light is controlled by the electrotransparent panoramic roof, which emits a soft liquid-crystal glow at night.

“The thing about A-list parties,” Mamlet says, “is that they’re often stuffy and boring.”

After our evening at the Guild awards, the Maybach 62 provided a welcome respite to the tedium of film clips, sound bites, and acceptance speeches by transforming itself into an after-party lounge. Our chauffeur popped and poured a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, and for the relaxing ride home, we listened to Diana Krall perform “Abandoned Masquerade” on the 21-speaker surround-sound audio system. Sometimes, getting there–or just going home–is half the fun.

Maybach Manufaktur
www.maybachusa.com

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