ZERO-EMISSIONS MISSILE

Concept: EQ Silver Arrow Designer: Mercedes-Benz

Odds of production: Just for show

In 1937, Mercedes-Benz employed the most advanced technology of the time to build the 12-cylinder W 125 Rekordwagen, which reached a top speed of 432.8km/hr the following year with Rudolf Caracciola behind the wheel. Nicknamed Silver Arrow, the 736hp racer was functional and beautiful. In that spirit, the marque recently unveiled the EQ Silver Arrow concept, an all-electric single-seater that is both an homage to its record-breaking predecessor and a glimpse of things to come.

“We created a new legend of the Silver Arrow for the next century,” says MercedesBenz chief design officer Gorden Wagener, who presented the concept car during this year’s Monterey Car Week. Like its inspiration, the show car employs a pure design and clean lines. But instead of metal, the body of the EQ Silver Arrow concept is made from carbon fibre, beset by massive, multi-spoke wheels trimmed in rose gold. Alubeam Silver paint, with the appearance of liquid metal, was created by Claudia Braun – the Mercedes-Benz senior manager of colour and trim – and her team. The look was achieved by using particles that flex and fit the body of the car like a metallic skin. In the cockpit, Saddle Brown leather and pinstriped walnut contrast with brushed aluminium trim, while a large panoramic screen projects a three-dimensional image of the driver’s surroundings.

Mercedes-Benz believes the powertrain configuration of the future is electric, and so the concept gets its juice from electric motors that make 738hp and a battery pack that helps achieve a range of more than 402km. And while the Silver Arrow may be just for show, many of the car’s design elements are reflected on the newly revealed EQC, the brand’s first all-electric crossover. — LAURA BURSTEIN