Last year, Maybach made the leap from ultra-premium to the plus ultra–premium with the dramatic Landaulet, the marque’s first modern open-topped model and the spiritual successor to the vaunted Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Landaulet of the 1960s, whose airy rear seats accommodated various heads of state, monarchs, movie stars, and a pope or two. Derived from the long-wheelbase Maybach 62, the Landaulet features a semiautomatic folding soft top over the rear seats and a fully enclosed chauffeur’s compartment up front. As it does in Maybach’s high-performance 57S and 62S models, a titanic 6-liter V-12 with twin turbochargers motivates the Landaulet. The Landaulet wants for little amenity-wise, but that won’t stop the factory (via the buyer’s personal “Relationship Manager”) from striving to fulfill even the most unconventional material, color, or technology requests. Pearlescent purple paint with ostrich leather upholstery? The dream is yours. Fittingly, Maybach’s flagship is strictly built to order, with deliveries commencing in December.

Pros: Aristocratic, swift, and airy.