The result of a partnership between designer Virgil Abloh and Mercedes is a unique version of the iconic Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
Brand Founder off-white worked on Project Geländewagen in collaboration with Head of Design Mercedes-Benz, Gordon Wagner. The goal was to take a fresh look at the worlds of art and automotive. The result was the emergence of an unusual appearance G-Class, whose image was inspired by racing cars.
In general, the designers did not philosophize too much, retaining the recognizable appearance of the famous SUV. But they lowered it, made it wider and put it on racing wheels, the exhaust pipes are now located on the sides. All “extra” details were also removed, such as turn signals and rear-view mirrors, door handles were replaced with simple belts, and even then only on the front doors.
The interior of the car has completely changed, it immediately evokes thoughts of a race track. Minimalism rules here, even the interior door trim was removed. The seats and steering wheel are made in the style of Formula-1, there is a minimum of instruments and everything is analog, protective bars appeared on the windows, a blue safety cage was added. According to Wagner, they sought to show the G-Class in a completely different environment.
Only one such version of the G-Wagen will be produced, which will then be placed in a museum. Mercedes-Benz. However, they will also create an exact copy on a slightly smaller scale, which will be auctioned on September 14th at Sotheby's Contemporary Curated. All proceeds will be donated to an unnamed charity that supports young artists. The winner of the auction will also have the opportunity to interact with the designers.
According to the designers, they both own a Mercedes-Benz G-63. And this allowed them to quickly find a common language at the first meeting that took place in Paris. According to Virgil Abloh, when they met, they "immediately started exchanging ideas about what we could do if we collaborated." They wanted to create luxury in its modern sense.
The designers say their goal was to reinforce the image of the G-Wagen as the iconic vehicle it has been for 40 years. How they succeeded is to be judged by the general public and fans of the brand.
