Driving the 2016 Mercedes-Maybach S600, the Chachi of chichi

Spin-offs always seem like sure things right until they're not. Baby Boomer nostalgia pap "Happy Days" was itself spun from "Love, American Style," and begat the successful "Mork and Mindy," along with the less-than-beloved "Joanie Loves Chachi" and entirely forgotten "Blansky's Beauties." What is the opposite of “Ayyyyyyyyyy!”?

No better example exists of this phenomenon in cars than Mercedes-Benz' second coming of the storied Maybach ultra-luxury brand in 2002. Bloated, baroque, and brazen as a mobster’s master bath, its opulent but outdated product was meant to sell 2,000 editions per year. Instead, it sold about 3,000 — in nine years. No one mourned its passing, least of all Bentley and Rolls-Royce, who were happy to Hoover up its market share. (Rolls sales have quadrupled since 2009.)

After this humiliation, Mercedes vowed never to make another Chachi.

With the economy back on track — or at least the portion of the economy occupied by the Global Ultra Rich — Mercedes has attempted to wipe our minds of that error with its new $189,350 Maybach S600. Now a luxury sub-brand rather than its own stand-alone marque, the Maybach name can be appliquéd — like the optional silver “metallized” finish on the limousine’s ample wood veneer interior trim — to a range of delightfully unobtainable products without having to open a slew of expensive freestanding dealerships, privileging the Mercedes uber-brand while providing an optional up-sell for those picky individuals who want the more/most expensive one.

Though it seems impossible, after spending a day with and in the new Maybach, we would suggest that, for the 211,275 Global Ultra Rich individuals whom Swiss banking giant UBS estimate to collectively control $30 trillion in personal assets, buying one would be money well spent.