MERCEDES-BENZ must have thought it was on to a sure thing when it revived the Maybach nameplate for a line of limousines intended to compete with Rolls-Royce in the ultra-luxury market at the turn of the Millennium.
But crippling losses - around £300,000 per vehicle - and sales considerably lower than those realised by Rolls-Royce - an insult compounded by the fact that it is now owned by fierce rival BMW - forced Mercedes to quietly announce in 2010 that it was going to bury the brand.
Undeterred, Mercedes is back for another go. Its latest attempt to grab a slice of the lucrative luxury market is the double-barrelled 'Mercedes-Maybach' brand.
It's a similar approach to that taken with the 'Mercedes-AMG' nameplate that now appears on the company's performance cars.
There have been Mercedes-Maybach limousines already - gentrified S-Class limos - but the car on this page is the first convertible model to wear the badge.
Essentially a fully-loaded S-Class convertible, the S650 Cabriolet is described by Mercedes as the "ultimate in open-air exclusivity" - though Rolls-Royce Dawn owners might disagree with that claim - and will limit production to 300 examples, each priced at €300,000.
In addition to fitting every option available on the regular S-Class convertible, the Mercedes-Maybach transformation includes a lot of hand-finished leather in a so-called waterfall effect and textured wood panelling.
Power comes courtesy of a 6.0-litre V12 engine with 621bhp and 737lb/ft.
Owners also get a certificate signed by Mercedes boss Dieter Zetsche and a set of luggage.
Mercedes is obviously very pleased with its new car, which it says, in a collectable example of PR hyperbole, "embodies modern luxury and represents the design philosophy of sensual purity: it is both hot and cool at the same time".
It will doubtless fit right in on the boulevards of California and the Cote d'Azur, but to my eyes the Mercedes-Maybach is too bling and tilts towards the tasteless; no doubt 300 customers will disagree.
