Haven’t Spent Enough Money On Your Maybach
Europe is littered with aftermarket companies producing loud body kits for luxury SUVs, so what sets the Larte Design Charisma body kit for the Mercedes-Maybach GLS apart is its restraint. Compared to the likes of Mansory, or even some of Larte’s previous work, the changes are relatively tasteful.
Adding more charisma to the GLS are fender flares, a new hood and front bumper, side sill extensions, and a new rear bumper with quad exhaust tips, a rear diffuser, and racing-style vertical brake lights. All of these pieces are made of carbon fiber, as are available mirror caps and a roof spoiler.
Artful Designs
“Larte” is Italian for “art of creating,” according to Larte’s website, but the company hails from a different part of Europe. The same website said Larte was founded in Dusseldorf, Germany, in 2012, although when the company launched in the United States in 2014 with a modified GL-Class (predecessor to today’s GLS-Class) called the Black Crystal, the press release was dateline Moscow. It’s now headquartered in Ratingen, Germany.
Larte Design
Maybach’s history is even longer and even more convoluted. It was founded in 1909 by Wilhelm Maybach—who worked with Gottlieb Daimler to develop the first Mercedes-branded cars—and his son Karl. It primarily built Zeppelin airship engines before diversifying into luxury cars and engines for the Nazi war machine. In the 21st century, the name was revived by Mercedes, first as a standalone brand, then for high-end versions of Mercedes models like the GLS-Class and the S-Class sedan.
Larte Design
The Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 was introduced as part of the current-generation GLS lineup in 2019, went on sale as a 2021 model, and got a mild refresh for 2023. It’s powered a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 producing 550 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque, which will get it from zero to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and up to a top speed of 155 mph, according to Mercedes. But the main attraction is a luxurious cabin with reclining seats, Nappa Leather everywhere, and even a dedicated climate control system for the rear seats.
How Ostentatious Do You Want To Be?
Considering that the Maybach GLS already leaves the factory with a chrome grille, hood ornament, and massive chrome wheels, it’s probably a good thing that Larte Design didn’t go too far with the modifications. But other companies keep churning out ostentatious designs, even for very high-end SUVs like the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, so perhaps the market thinks differently.
Larte Design
