Press Release - 9 February 2004

Experience the ultimate in chauffeur-driven luxury -
ride in the exclusive Maybach 62:
with Royal Silver Service.

There are many luxury cars on the market, but for the true motoring cognoscenti there is one name that stands head and shoulders above the competition.  That name is Maybach.  A byword for sophistication, elegance and engineering excellence, the marque may never be a household name - but amongst those in the know it is spoken with the same reverence and appreciation with which a jeweller talks of Fabergé, or a violinist Stradivarius. 

The Maybach is, quite simply, the finest car money can buy, and from June this year one - and only one - will be available for hire in the UK through top executive chauffeur organisation Royal Silver Service.

In a class of its own
It's hard to know where to start when describing this car's specification and features.  A good place is the engine, a 550hp Bi-turbo 5.5 litre V12, the most powerful in any production car in the world.  Travelling in a Maybach 62 (there are two models, the 57 and the 62, and it is the larger 62 that Royal Silver Service will be operating) is more about comfort and style as you go about your business than raw speed exhilaration. 

But should you wish your driver to emulate Michael Schumacher, the car can be away from the lights and up to 60 mph in a whisper over 5 seconds.  (And indeed, whispering to a colleague or partner won't be a problem in this vehicle, even at motorway speeds - the AirMATIC DC air suspension, automatic transmission and overall soundproofing ensure engine and wind noise is kept to a barely-detectable minimum.)

Step into the Maybach 62 and you step into another world, a world where every conceivable comfort has been attended to:  surrounded by Grand Nappa leather seats and finest wood panelling, your feet slowly sinking into the deep-pile carpet.

Every luxury you could wish for is at hand - including DVD player, television, state-of-the-art sound system, minibar, refrigerated compartment and cordless telephone with two handsets. 

Insulated from the hustle and bustle of the city streets outside, you glide through the traffic in absolute tranquillity, your environment precisely controlled by the individually-tailored air conditioning systems.  Ride comfort is unparalleled, thanks to an electronically-controlled air suspension system and electro-hydraulic braking - and thanks, too, to the most luxurious and spacious interior to be found this side of Buckingham Palace.

This car is big:  at 1.57m high and 6.17m high, big enough to allow the rear passengers space to recline almost flat in their seats and still have plenty of legroom left over, easily big enough to function as a mobile mini-office (complete with powerpoints to plug in laptops and phone chargers, naturally).

Royal Silver Service and Maybach - business synergy
Royal Silver Service's Chief Executive Stephen Bernard likens sitting in the 62's rear seats to travelling in the First Class cabin of the world's most luxurious airline - although it's doubtful any airline could compete with the standards to which this interior is finished.

It's a unique experience, in more ways than one.  Such is the exclusivity of the Maybach - only 700 or so in total for the two marques will be produced annually for the worldwide market - you'll be lucky even to see one, let alone own or ride in one.  And owning a Maybach 62, incidentally, will set you back the little matter of around £300,000 - presuming you can get your name onto the waiting list. 

In fact, unless you are in the ultra-privileged position of being able to purchase your own Maybach, hiring one from Royal Silver Service could well be your only route to riding in this magnificent car.  Maybach vehicles are not "loaned out", not even to the rich and famous, and test drives are rarer than hens' teeth.  So how did Royal Silver Service get to become the UK's sole official Maybach chauffeur hire company?  And what convinced Steve Bernard (64) to invest in such an extraordinarily expensive vehicle?

Steve explains:  "Throughout my business career, when I did something, I made a proper go of it.  Very few people get the opportunity to do something unique, to be the best at what they do - and in Royal Silver Service, we believe we are offering the very best that chauffeur hire has to offer."  It is this fearless entrepreneurial spirit that has carried Steve throughout a varied and successful business career.  His background includes spells as Marketing Director of Atari, where he was instrumental in unleashing the Space Invaders phenomenon in Britain, and as MD of RCA Columbia Pictures Video.

Now, in partnership with his nephews, Adam O'Gilvie (31) and his brother Mark (28), Steve has quickly established himself as one of the leading players in the chauffeur hire business.  "We operate a nationwide network - exclusively Mercedes E Class and higher spec. - of several hundred fully licensed owner-drivers" he says. 

"We aim always to provide the very highest levels of customer service.  Our business is generated either via our website or word-of-mouth - and repeat custom, of course." 

When you look at the website - www.royalsilverservice.co.uk - it's easy to see why; designed by Mark O'Gilvie, the website exudes the class, style and ambition that typify the company, qualities that helped influence DaimlerChrsyler UK into granting them exclusive executive chauffeur hire rights to the car.

Of the business relationship with DaimlerChrysler, Adam Ogilvie - who came to Royal Silver Service from a background in management and computer consultancy - has this to say:  "We are aware of the significant risk in investing such a large amount of money in one car - but we were looking for a USP, something to set us apart from the competition.  I think DaimlerChrysler was impressed with that commitment, and of course, there's a natural synergy inasmuch as our fleet is  Mercedes exclusive. 

"The Maybach 62 is a four-seater vehicle, and whilst many business customers will want it for their exclusive, personal use, we also envisage many hiring it along with other vehicles - diplomats with their aides, A-list celebrities with their entourages, etc. for example.  There is also a substantial market for the 62 for social occasions (especially during the Summer season) - and weddings, of course."

The best service money can buy
Adam's point about the Maybach 62 being designed to seat three people and the chauffeur, people travelling in ultimate comfort and safety (and with no less than 10 separate airbags and integral comfort-fit seat belts, this car is very comfortable and very safe) could invoke comparison with some of the car's perceived rivals - after all, aren't some "stretch-limos" bigger overall inside?  But in truth, there is no comparison. 

As Steve Bernard confirms: "Truly discerning customers will instinctively recognise the gulf in class between the Maybach and something like a stretch limo.  Stretch limos have their market, but when it's absolute discretion, absolute comfort, absolute style you want, the Maybach has no equal."

As you might expect, the Maybach experience does not come cheap but Steve and the O'Gilvies make no apology for that.  "Our customers get what they pay for" reiterates Adam.  "They see that we're expensive, and that leads them to expect a high quality, totally confidential, reliable and caring service - which is exactly what they get.  And by hiring the Maybach, of course, they're buying into a very exclusive club." 

Wise words indeed, words that Wilhelm Maybach himself, designer of some of the finest cars the world has ever seen, would probably agree with.

*  *  *

Royal Silver Service is now taking advance bookings for the Maybach 62. Call direct on 08701 993910- or for more information, visit the RSS website at www.royalsilverservice.co.uk.      

- e n d s -                                                    RSS101X/2004

All pics in this press release are available in high res.  Please call 01494 684353.

NOTES TO JOURNALISTS AND BROADCASTERS

Silver Dream Machine
Royal Silver Service's silver Maybach 62 is currently being hand-built in Germany.  The company will take delivery during the early part of June 2004, but in the meantime, photography can be arranged with another vehicle, in central London (Wigmore Street).

Impeccable engineering pedigree
21^st century Maybachs - there are two models, the 57 and the 62, and it is the larger 62 Royal Silver Service will be operating - are built in Germany under the aegis of DaimlerChrysler, and benefit from all the technical expertise of Mercedes, a brand whose engineering credentials need no introduction.  But the Maybach's pedigree stretches right back to the 19^th century, when Wilhelm Maybach, "The King of Designers", first met Gottlieb Daimler, and began a partnership which was to elevate the humble car to the level of art.  Artistry; craftsmanship; innovation - in the Maybach these reach their apogee.

WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU

For more information, high res. pics, to arrange photography or to interview
Steve Bernard, Chief Executive of Royal Silver Service,

please contact:

Ms Ray Hodges MCAM MIPR
HPS Group - 01494 684353 (D/L), 0790 9925576 (mobile)
or email

Issued by: HPS-PR, Park House, Desborough Park Road, High Wycombe, Bucks  HP12 3DJ
Tel: 01494 684300   Fax: 01494 440952