The Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet is an absurd thing. We love it, but we probably wouldn’t buy one. Mostly because we can’t quite pull it off, but also because it costs €630,000 before taxes and, get this, Mercedes reliably informs us it sold out almost immediately after it was revealed at this year’s Geneva motor show.

Yep, all 99 were snapped up by very wealthy individuals without a moment’s hesitation, which we guess is unsurprising. A biturbo V12, portal-axle’d SUV Landaulet isn’t the sort of thing you buy after days of deliberation. It’s the kind of thing you buy on a whim, without telling your wife.

A quick recap on the mad G, not that you need it: it’s a Maybach-badged, AMG V12-engined convertible Mercedes G-Class. It measures in at a subtle 5.3m long and 2.2m high, with a ground clearance of more than half a metre thanks to those portal axles. It’s strictly a four seater, and though the driver and front passenger get a proper roof, the rear passengers are treated to an electrically folding fabric roof that stows in an unspecified amount of seconds to reveal much sky. Press another button, and a glass partition further separates front and back passengers. Another push of a button, and said glass changes from transparent to opaque. Shady.

Those individual rear chairs have been lifted from the S-Class, which means they can be fully reclined, offer massage programmes and get a calf rest. There’s also a business console with cup holders that allow your chosen refreshment to be either cooled or heated. Even the tables have leather inserts to allow for a “comfortable writing surface”.

About that engine: AMG’s monster 6.0-litre biturbo V12 has been deployed, which – as in the G65 AMG – produces 621bhp and 1,000Nm of torque. It’s got 100 per cent diff locks too.

Mercedes also tells us that for the time being, it has no plans to halt production of the current G. We thought the 650 was some kind of swansong, but no. The G is set to last at least until its 40th anniversary in 2019, and beyond. It will no doubt be updated with new engines, technologies and styling tweaks, but we’re assured the fundamentals will remains the same (the 650’s door handles are, we’re told, totally interchangeable with a ’79 G-Wagen’s. True fact).

Excellent news (we’re in this camp), or should the G have died years ago?