Maybach Zeppelin (DS7 / DS8) History

The Maybach Zeppelin was the marque's Repräsentationswagen — its most powerful and prestigious offering. The DS7 (Doppel-Sechs, 'double-six') debuted in 1929 with a 7.0-litre V12 producing 150 hp; the DS8 arrived in 1930 with an 8.0-litre V12 making 200 hp at 3,200 rpm, one of the most powerful engines in any production car of the era.

The DS8 introduced the Variorex transmission — a vacuum-operated unit with eight forward gears, at the time likely the most gears of any production car in the world. The car could reach approximately 170 km/h (106 mph), performance comparable to contemporary sports cars despite weighing several tonnes in limousine coachwork.

Fewer than 200 Zeppelins were built in total across the DS7 and DS8 series (production ended 1938). Bodies were commissioned from coachbuilders including Spohn and Papler; customers included royalty, heads of state, and industrialists. The Zeppelin remains one of the most collectible pre-war automobiles; a 1938 DS8 Roadster is among only around 100 survivors.