Who designed it? Who ordered it? Was Mercedes-Benz in any way involved in its conception? There were a lot of questions around the S600 Royale. A one-off that has been seen frequently on the internet but about which little or nothing was known. So far…
When everything started
The S600 Royale became famous in December 2015, thanks to a Facebook post from Galpin Auto Sports – an American company dedicated to preparing “special” models. The published images were withdrawn shortly thereafter, which added to the mystery.The S600 Royale would later be seen on several occasions in California (where it is registered) and in Europe, properly “captured” in videos we've already seen on Youtube.
A one-off project
One-off projects are growing in popularity. Even at the official level, some manufacturers are profitably joining this business model – the best known proposals are those of Ferrari. As far as we know, Mercedes-Benz has officially never joined this business model. Exception made, perhaps, to Maybach Exelero.
The S600 Royale is a retro vision of a luxury saloon from the German brand, clearly inspired by the W100. Looking inside, it appears that the new bodywork “sits” on the current Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W222).
But on the outside it couldn't be more different. The front and rear optics from the SLS and a front grille that looks like it's taken from the W100 or a W112 stand out. Like it or not, the S600 Royale at least strives to have a poise and presence worthy of the name it bears.
The designer is revealed… by himself
Finally, we can answer some of the questions about the origin of such an intriguing model. Answers that come precisely from whoever designed it, having been photographed alongside its creation:Nothing more, nothing less than Henrik Fisker, the designer who defined the lines of models like the BMW Z8 or the Aston Martin DB9. He even created his own car brand, Fisker Automotive, from which Karma was born, a hybrid luxury saloon – an “adventure” that didn't end well.
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More recently, it started to collaborate with… Galpin Auto Sports, precisely the company that presented the first images of the S600 Royale to the world.
In his Instagram post, Henrik Fisker also hints at the model's owner. Or rather, owners, as the S600 Royale seems to belong to a car club. There are numerous car clubs around the planet, but launching into a project of this magnitude, with the contribution of its members, must be unprecedented.
There are still some questions to be answered, such as the final specifications of the model or the cost of the project. But at least we already know that the collaboration between Henrik Fisker and Galpin Auto Sports extended beyond the development of the Rocket – an extensively altered Ford Mustang – and gave rise to yet another project: the S600 Royale.