LeBron James’ Custom Mercedes-Maybach S 680 Is Heading to Auction
Mercedes built two of LeBron’s Light Ivory Maybachs. One stays with him; the other sells at Retromobile New York in November, with every dollar going to his I PROMISE program.
Mercedes-Benz is sending a Maybach S 680 designed by LeBron James to auction next month, and the buyer won't be getting a one-off. The car is a near-identical twin of the sedan James specced for himself through MANUFAKTUR Made to Measure, and all proceeds go to the LeBron James Family Foundation.
The sale runs through Gooding Christie's at Retromobile New York, held at the Javits Center from November 19 to 22. Before that, the car sits in the window at Mercedes-Benz Manhattan from November 9 to 16. The timing is convenient for Mercedes: S-Class sales jumped 47% in the third quarter, and a celebrity Maybach on Eleventh Avenue is cheaper advertising than a Super Bowl spot.
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What James changed
The spec is restrained by Maybach standards. The exterior is a MANUFAKTUR-exclusive non-metallic shade called Light Ivory, paired with a Stormy Weather blue Nappa interior and porcelain contrast stitching. James' crown logo appears on the cushions, floor mats, and headrests, and a small badge carries the coordinates of Akron, Ohio.
The detail Mercedes is making the most noise about is on the front fenders. The V12 badge that normally sits there has been replaced with James' personal logo, which the company says is a first for the Maybach brand. The V12 itself is still called out on the grille.
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Underneath, it's a standard S 680: a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 rated at 621 hp and 664 lb-ft, driving all four wheels. A 2026 S 680 4MATIC carries a $245,650 MSRP before any MANUFAKTUR work, so the question for bidders is purely how much the provenance and the charity are worth on top.
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Two cars, one for sale
The pair first appeared together at Pebble Beach in August, where Mercedes showed the auction car alongside a factory-built "auction house" display and other heritage metal. The company said then that the car would eventually be sold for James' foundation, but it hadn't named an auction house or a date.
Gooding Christie's is the official auction partner of Retromobile New York, the first edition of the Paris collector-car show to be held outside France. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the live sale itself is expected to run November 20–21, with public viewing from November 19. Mercedes hasn't published an estimate, and Gooding Christie's hasn't listed one yet either.
Charity auctions of factory specials have become a reliable fall feature. Toyota's final Supra is going to the block for Paul Walker's foundation, and Ram's first Rumble Bee SRT sold the same way. A LeBron-signed Maybach in a crowd of prewar Mercedes and Ferraris should have no trouble drawing a room.
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The foundation's I PROMISE program supports students and families in the Akron area with education, housing, healthcare, and job-training resources. James said in the Mercedes-Benz USA announcement that designing his own Maybach was something he never imagined growing up in Akron, and that funneling the sale back into those families is the point of the exercise.
Mercedes says more public appearances for the car may be added before the auction. The buyer, meanwhile, gets the only one of these that isn't parked at LeBron's house.
