The Mercedes-Benz Vision EQ Silver Arrow show car celebrated its world premiere at Monterey Car Week.
The one-seater Mercedes-Benz is an homage to the record-breaking Mercedes-Benz W 125 car from 1937. The streamlined silhouette of the approximately 5.3-metre long and approximately one metre shallow one-seater vehicle is “slender yet sensuous,” says Daimler design team.
The role model for the Vision EQ Silver Arrow is the W 125 twelve-cylinder, record-breaking car which Mercedes-Benz built in 1937 on the basis of the Grand Prix racing car. With it, Rudolf Caracciola achieved 432.7 km/h on the A5 autobahn between Frankfurt and Darmstadt based on the average speed travelling there and back. This speed record on public roads stood until November 2017.
The Vision EQ Silver Arrow is conceived as an electric luxury vehicle.
This soundless Silver Arrow has an output of 550 kW (750 hp). The thin rechargeable battery in the underbody has a useable capacity of approx.80 kWh and enables a calculated range of over 400 km according to the WLTP. Side air vents help to cool the battery.
“Over 80 years ago, the historic Silver Arrows demonstrated that Mercedes-Benz was a pioneer when it came to speed thanks, among other things, to their streamlined shape,” said Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer at Daimler AG.
“The Vision EQ Silver Arrow draws on that legacy. Intended for acceleration and driving pleasure, it embodies Progressive Luxury and provides an insight into the future of our design. As a result, the show car drives the design idiom of our new EQ product and technology brand to the top.”
Offering exceptional traction and correspondingly fast acceleration, the Vision EQ Silver Arrow has slick 255/25 R 24 tyres at the front and 305/25 R 26 tyres at the rear. Attesting to the attention to detail, Pirelli has helped to realise a star pattern on the tread.
The show car’s body structure is made of carbon fibre. The multiple layers of paintwork in alubeam silver appear like liquid metal over the top. Functional attachment parts made of carbon fibre such as the front splitter epitomise the cool and rational aspect of this philosophy. The same applies to the front trim designed as a display, as well as the continuous lighting strip at the front. The side skirts also feature a lighting strip and the large, recessed EQ lettering in front of the rear wheels is illuminated blue.
Other highlights include the driver’s cockpit, which can be folded forwards, and the partially free-standing multi-spoke wheels. The non-rotating hub caps and the partial trim on the wheels are other stylish and innovative highlights. The 168 spokes per wheel are made of lightweight aluminium and are painted a rose gold colour as is typical for EQ.
Double screen and virtual racing
The driver of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow is encompassed by a large panoramic screen on which a 3D image of the surroundings is projected from behind. As a pointer to future possible charging technologies, the lane of the roadway on which inductive charging is possible is superimposed onto the screen.
With the help of artificial intelligence it is possible to engage in a virtual race against historic or present Silver Arrow racing cars. For this a virtual racetrack is superimposed onto the real roadway on the panoramic screen and the driver sees their opponent either ahead of them or behind them as a “ghost”. The Virtual Race Coach assistance function helps you become a better driver by giving instructions during the race.
There is also a touchscreen on the steering wheel. The driver can use it to select programs such as Comfort, Sport and Sport+, which offer different driving characteristics. Sound settings can also be configured here: Choices include the sound of a current Formula 1 Silver Arrow or a Mercedes-AMG V8 engine.
