It’s Monterey Car Week over in sunny California, and in addition to the other debuts from Infiniti, Bugatti, Jaguar and BMW, German luxury juggernaut Mercedes-Benz has launched its Silver Arrow concept car, a single-seater fully-electric racer design study that previews what the marque’s new ‘EQ’ electric sub-brand is capable of if it sets its mind to something.
“Over 80-years ago, the historic Silver Arrows demonstrated that Mercedes-Benz was a pioneer when it came to speed thanks to, among other things, their streamlined shape. 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.” — Garden Wagener, Chief Design Officer, Daimler AG
The fully carbon-fibre bodywork of the Silver Arrow takes inspiration from the W125 car from 1937, though the multiple layers of ‘alubeam silver’ that’s been laid atop the composite body is decidedly modern in its liquid-metal appearance. Under the skin you won’t find some yesteryear engine either: Electric motors power all four wheels for a combined output of 550kW, powered by an 80kWh battery that Mercedes-Benz says is “thin… in the underbody” and capable of hitting a “calculated range of over 400km.”
Interestingly, the Vision Silver Arrow also shows off a new kind of cockpit design for the brand, which integrates a screen into the centre of the steering wheel, in addition to the curved display that sits atop the steering column in a more traditional instrumentation layout. While the car itself won’t make production, this element (as well as various other design features in and around the car) might be a hint of what’s to come.
As an example of the EQ brand’s capabilities, the Silver Arrow will go unchallenged. However, we can’t help but wonder why carmakers from hither to yonder are going out of their way to reassure the public that electric vehicles won’t kill driving thrills. Regardless, we’re happy to see that carmakers will consider to see motorsport as a crucible in trialling automotive engineering breakthroughs, and we’d love to see this thing whistling its way around a racetrack in the future.
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