Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow concept pays homage to brand's original W 125 race car
If the electric one-seater was to be manufactured for sale, it would have an output of 738 horsepower.
By Bloomberg | Updated:
Agencies
The car is more than 17 feet long but just 3 feet deep, with a carbon-fiber front splitter and side skirts with a lighting strip.
By Hannah Elliott
In Monterey, Calif., late on Friday, Mercedes-Benz unveiled its latest concept car, the EQ Silver Arrow. It’s an homage to the brand’s original W 125 race car, which in 1937 set the record for fastest land-speed vehicle on a public road by traveling nearly 270 miles per hour. That record was only broken late last year by the Koenigsegg Agera.
The electric one-seater joins a long list of memorable concepts that Mercedes shows off every year in advance of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday. None of them will reach anything near production, but design chief Gorden Wagener says they’re useful to illustrate how the brand’s future will look, embodied in one car.
As the name suggests, it’s extremely long and thin. The car is more than 17 feet long but just 3 feet deep, with a carbon-fiber front splitter and side skirts with a lighting strip. Large, recessed EQ lettering heralds the company’s EQ brand of battery-electric vehicles, illuminated in blue in front of the rear wheels. <p>The dashboard is curved in a three-dimensional panoramic screen that can project images from behind the car, and in the center of the steering wheel is an integrated touchscreen. <br></p> The “Alubeam Silver” paint work on the body of the car is similar to the type used on the original Silver Arrow cars. The rear diffuser also looks like those on vintage racers, with an extendable spoiler that acts as an air brake by increasing the wind resistance as the car decelerates.
Inside are gray, suede sidewalls, as well as aluminum-and-walnut trim; the saddle-brown leather is laser-etched with stars. The dashboard is curved in a three-dimensional panoramic screen that can project images from behind the car, and in the center of the steering wheel is an integrated touchscreen. A lever on the side of the seat adjusts the pedal height to better suit the driver’s height.
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If the EQ Silver Arrow were to be manufactured for sale, Wagener said, it would have an output of 738 horsepower, thanks to a thin, rechargeable battery of roughly 80 kWh and a driving range of more than 250 miles.
Porsche, Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz: The Futuristic And Fancy Cars At Geneva Motor Show
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The ongoing 2018 Geneva Motor Show is the first major European car show of the year. Car makers pulled out all the stops to show off their latest and greatest.
From Ferrari to McLaren and Aston Martin to Mercedes, Geneva is packed with the next generation of exotics. In addition, there are a host of production-ready models from mass-market luxury brands. Automakers around the world are making sure that supercars of the future don’t stop at fuel stations.
Here’s a closer look at the eight coolest cars at the show:
The ongoing 2018 Geneva Motor Show is the first major European car show of the year. Car makers pulled out all the stops to show off their latest and greatest.
From Ferrari to McLaren and Aston Mart..
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Geneva marked the auto show debut of Aston Martin’s new Vantage sports car — the automaker’s thoroughbred twin-turbocharged V8 sports coupe. The racer is in the final stages of an intensive development programme ahead of its international race debut at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (in Belgium) in May.
Geneva marked the auto show debut of Aston Martin’s new Vantage sports car — the automaker’s thoroughbred twin-turbocharged V8 sports coupe. The racer is in the final stages of an intensive developme..
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Audi unveiled its e-tron electric prototype — the luxury-class sport SUV that has a total output of 320 kW and sprints from a standstill to 100 kmph in 4.6 seconds. The e-tron claims to have a range of more than 500 kilometres for full everyday usability.
Audi unveiled its e-tron electric prototype — the luxury-class sport SUV that has a total output of 320 kW and sprints from a standstill to 100 kmph in 4.6 seconds. The e-tron claims to have a range..
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Porsche also introduced its Mission E Cross Turismo concept. It’s an all-electric crossover wagon designed to take on the Tesla Model X. The car can accelerate from zero to 100 kmph in less than 3.5 seconds and reach a speed of 200 kmph in less than 12 seconds.
Porsche also introduced its Mission E Cross Turismo concept. It’s an all-electric crossover wagon designed to take on the Tesla Model X. The car can accelerate from zero to 100 kmph in less than 3.5 ..
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McLaren’s 789 horsepower Senna supercar is also a crowdpuller this year. It has the most powerful internal combustion engine McLaren has ever built, a staggering power-to-weight ratio of 668PS-per-tonne (659bhp), sprints from zero to 200 kmph in 6.8 seconds and has a top speed of 340 kmph.
McLaren’s 789 horsepower Senna supercar is also a crowdpuller this year. It has the most powerful internal combustion engine McLaren has ever built, a staggering power-to-weight ratio of 668PS-per-to..
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The new Mercedes-AMG GT four-door coupe arrived in production guise at the show. It combines sports car performance with the everyday suitability of an elegant fourdoor vehicle. Powerful R6 and V8 engines with a performance ranging from 320 kW/435 HP to 470 kW/639 HP accelerates the coupé to maximum speeds of 315 kmph.
The new Mercedes-AMG GT four-door coupe arrived in production guise at the show. It combines sports car performance with the everyday suitability of an elegant fourdoor vehicle. Powerful R6 and V8 en..
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Ferrari’s new 711 horsepower 488 Pista was unveiled at the auto show. Its engine is the most powerful V8 in Ferrari history, weighs 90 kg less compared to the Ferrari 488 GTB, and is a step forward from the previous (Ferrari) special series in terms of sporty dynamics.
Ferrari’s new 711 horsepower 488 Pista was unveiled at the auto show. Its engine is the most powerful V8 in Ferrari history, weighs 90 kg less compared to the Ferrari 488 GTB, and is a step forward f..
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BMW rolled out its new 8 Series Gran Coupe. It’s a four-door sports car that shows off BMW’s new design language that emphasises the car’s dynamism through its bodywork. The 8 Series Gran Coupe dons an all-new look with Salève Vert paint finish, whose colour appears to change from green to greyish blue in different lights.
BMW rolled out its new 8 Series Gran Coupe. It’s a four-door sports car that shows off BMW’s new design language that emphasises the car’s dynamism through its bodywork. The 8 Series Gran Coupe dons ..
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Visitors also got the first look of the allelectric offering from Volvo’s performance off-shoot, Polestar 1. It is an electric performance hybrid 2+2 GT coupé which produces 600 horsepower, 1,000 Nm of torque and 150 km of electric driving range — the longest of any hybrid car in the world.
Visitors also got the first look of the allelectric offering from Volvo’s performance off-shoot, Polestar 1. It is an electric performance hybrid 2+2 GT coupé which produces 600 horsepower, 1,000 Nm ..