2004
The Maybach Exelero is a one-off high-performance sports car made by Stola (now part of Blutec) in collaboration with DaimlerChrysler. It was unveiled at the Tempodrom in Berlin in 2005. The Exelero was commissioned by Fulda, a German subsidiary of Goodyear, to test their new Carat Exelero tyre range. The Exelero was the second vehicle to serve as a one-off show car for Fulda's high performance tyre range, the first being the Gemballa Extremo in 1996. In collaboration with Maybach, the initial design of the Exelero was to be influenced by the Maybach SW 38 and built on the platform of the Maybach 57. Another important design stipulation from Fulda was that the car should be able to reach speeds in excess of 350 km/h (220 mph) so that the physical limits of the Exelero tyres could be tested. The final design of the Exelero was produced by four students from the Transportation Design School of Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences. In 2007, Stola introduced the Phalcon, a two-door coupe inspired by the Exelero.