XENATEC MAYBACH CRUISERIO SEEN BEFORE GENEVA

Xenatec is not exactly well-known for producing anything. Not unless you live in Saudi Arabia and have put down a sweet little deposit on the €675 000 (R6.5 million) asking price. Then you would be one of 100 who will have this Xenatec Coupe, or Cruiserio, which is based on the Maybach 57S. The car was apparently penned by a guy called Fredrik Burchhardt who seems to have much more imagination than the designers at Daimler.

Probably only by coincidence, the Cruiserio happens to be a two-door Maybach whose market seems to be the same as the Mercedes-Benz CL. But being a tuner special means it will invariably be more expensive, thus putting it into the zone of Bentley GTs.

Interior highlights include dark nappa leather in espresso brown, footwells lined in soft alcantara and finished in a blackberry tone and a custom-built panoramic sunroof.

The engine is a blasting 6.0-litre V12 with two turbos kicking out 450kW and 1000Nm of massive torque. It runs from 0 – 100km/h in just 5 seconds and hits a top end of 275km/h.

Look out for it at the 2011 Geneva International Motor Show that starts off tomorrow.