Power of attraction: Maybach + Robbe & Berking

In 1874, Nikolaus Christoph Robbe established a silverware workshop in Flensburg, later joined by Robert Berking, who would eventually marry Robbe's daughter. This year, Robbe & Berking manufacture proudly celebrates its 150th anniversary as a family-run business. In 2005, Oliver Berking and two friends acquired a vintage racing yacht named Sphinx, dedicating three years to its restoration. The expertise gained from this project, along with the yacht's rich history, led to the founding of Robbe & Berking Classics in 2008, a shipyard specializing in the renovation of classic sailing yachts.

Sphinx boasts a fascinating history of its own. This 70-foot 12mR class racing yacht was built in 1939 by the German shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen. The 12mR class represented the pinnacle of sailing, serving as the platform for the America's Cup from 1958 to 1987. Originally constructed as a club boat for the Norddeutscher Regattaverein (NRV), its funding came from the people of Hamburg, particularly tobacco magnate Philipp Remtsma. Launched on April 28, just days before the outbreak of World War II, Sphinx, under the command of Consul Franz Brinkmann, participated in regattas in Kiel and Travemünde that summer, outperforming other boats in its class. Hopes were high for its appearance at the Olympic Games in Helsinki in 1940, but the games were canceled, and during the ‘Eresund Week’ in Denmark, Sphinx suffered a broken mast, preventing it from racing again until after the war.

The sailing community in post-war Germany faced significant challenges. The NRV, having lost its clubhouse and nearly its entire fleet, managed to keep the 12mR class alive but faced restrictions; under the terms of the surrender, Germans were only allowed to sail boats under 6 meters in length without special permission.

In a remarkable turn of events, NRV chairman Erich F. Leyss orchestrated a legendary barter deal. Laeisz, a well-known shipowner and loyal customer of Abeking & Rasmussen, named all his commercial vessels with the letter ‘P,’ including the famous windjammers Pamir, Passat, and Proyssen. Leyss sold Sphinx to NRV club members, Hans and Wolfgang Freudenberg, who held Chilean passports and owned a woodworking company in Hamburg. The payment was made in timber—an entire wagonload of oak, larch, and mahogany was shipped to Abeking & Rasmussen. In return, Henry Rasmussen supplied the NRV with 12 Hummel boats, five Pirate centerboards, two small Sonderling keelboats, and eight Hansa paddleboats.

The NRV subsequently sold these boats to its members, using the proceeds to build a new clubhouse on the Alster, which it still occupies today. A model of Sphinx now adorns a wall of the clubhouse. In 1958, the yacht was sold to the Naval Academy at Muirwick, where it served as a training vessel under the name Ostwind until 2004. During the 1960s and 70s, cadets won the Flensburger Fjord Blue Ribbon nine times at the Flensburger Segel-Club races in Glücksburg.

In 2005, along with another college yacht, Westwind, Sphinx was auctioned off. After changing hands, it didn’t sail far; three enthusiastic yachtsmen from Flensburg decided to preserve at least one of the two boats. The restoration took until 2008, when the revitalized Sphinx was unveiled. From 2015 to 2023, it won six out of nine FSC races.

In 2024, the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class was unveiled, produced to commemorate Robbe & Berking's 150th anniversary and inspired by the aesthetics of Sphinx. The color scheme mirrors that of the restored yacht: the top is painted Nautical Blue Metallic, while the bottom is in Manufaktur Patagonia Red, separated by a Manufaktur Opalite White stripe resembling a waterline. The seats, doors, headlining, and glovebox are finished in Nappa Crystal White leather with Orion Grey stitching and diamond accents. The walnut trim, accented with aluminum detailing, evokes the look of a teak yacht deck, while the rear seats feature Crystal White leather with pearl grey inlays.

Selected options for this luxurious sedan include power doors, red illuminated Manufaktur sills, a Burmester surround sound system, and an MBUX rear-seat entertainment system.

This is not the first collaboration between Maybach and Robbe & Berking; the silverware company began providing glasses to accompany the luxury sedans back in 2002. Naturally, a set of silver-plated champagne flutes is included with this Mercedes-Maybach S 680.

This exclusive sedan is not available for purchase as it was produced as a one-off for an unnamed client. However, anyone can acquire the Robbe & Berking Maybach champagne flutes for $874.50, excluding shipping and taxes.