What’s Going On With This Mercedes-Maybach S 680?

What you’re looking at is a Mercedes-Maybach S 680 and one could be easily fooled into thinking some nefarious behavior has occurred around the car. What’s really going on?

This intriguing image was recently shared to Reddit and shows a Mercedes-Maybach S 680 that was parked somewhere in Florida. On first impressions, it looks like a Maybach model that has been through the wringer and is owned by someone with no appreciation for its value.

Immediately catching the eye is the fuel door. For starters, the outer fuel door is completely missing and the inner door section is opened. The little piece of plastic cord connecting to the fuel cap itself appears to be broken. There are also plenty of strange marks on the bodywork around the fuel door. You may also notice that this Maybach is rocking a tow bar and a very basic-looking set of wheels.

Read: 2023 Mercedes-Maybach S680 By Virgil Abloh Is Limited To Just 150 Examples

The car also has a manufacturer plate from Michigan. Thus, we could be looking at an S 680 prototype of some kind. While the S 680 is already available, it’s entirely possible that the German car manufacturer is testing it with some kind of updated engine and that a fuel economy testing rig may have been mounted to the outside of the fuel door, hence the tape and tape marks that are visible.

As for the wheels, it’s not uncommon for carmakers to test vehicles with wheels different than those offered on production models. These wheels lack the complex spoke design of the S 680 available to customers and also lack Mercedes-Benz center caps. The lug nuts are also exposed but are hidden on the production model.