Automotive

Mercedes's iconic Silver Arrow racer gets an electric makeover for Monterey

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Mercedes-Benz Vision EQ Silver Arrow on the Concept Lawn at Pebble beach this weekend
Angus MacKenzie/New Atlas
Mercedes showed off the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept at Monterey Car Week
Daimler AG
The original Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows from the 1930s were themselves remarkable feats of technological prowess
Daimler AG
Each wheel of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept contains 168 lightweight aluminum spokes painted in rose gold
Daimler AG
Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer at Daimler AG, shows off the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept at Monterey Car Week
Daimler AG
Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer at Daimler AG, stands rather proudly in front of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept at Monterey Car Week
Daimler AG
Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer at Daimler AG, shows off the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept at Monterey Car Week
Daimler AG
Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer at Daimler AG, shows off the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept at Monterey Car Week
Daimler AG
Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer at Daimler AG, presents the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept at Monterey Car Week
Daimler AG
The forward-folding cockpit of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept in action
Daimler AG
Mercedes showed off the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept at Monterey Car Week
Daimler AG
The original Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows from the 1930s were themselves remarkable feats of technological prowess
Daimler AG
Each wheel of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept contains 168 lightweight aluminum spokes painted in rose gold
Daimler AG
The forward-folding cockpit of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept in action
Daimler AG
Lighting strips built into the front and side skirts add a dash of color to the EQ Silver Arrow concept
Daimler AG
The aerodynamic version of the 1937 Silver Arrow race car
Daimler AG
The aerodynamic version of the 1937 Silver Arrow race car
Daimler AG
The Vision EQ Silver Arrow under the covers at Monterey Car Week
Daimler AG
The Vision EQ Silver Arrow under the covers at Monterey Car Week
Daimler AG
Mercedes showed off the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept at Monterey Car Week
Daimler AG
The original Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows from the 1930s were themselves remarkable feats of technological prowess
Daimler AG
Each wheel of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept contains 168 lightweight aluminum spokes painted in rose gold
Daimler AG
A look at the cockpit of the Mercedes Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept
Daimler AG
Each wheel of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept contains 168 lightweight aluminum spokes painted in rose gold
Daimler AG
The freshly unveiled Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept has a power output of 550 kW (750 hp)
Daimler AG
The freshly unveiled Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept has a power output of 550 kW (750 hp)
Daimler AG
Onlookers await the unveiling of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept at Monterey Car Week
Daimler AG
The body structure of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept is made from carbon fiber
Daimler AG
Mercedes showed off the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept at Monterey Car Week
Daimler AG
The original Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows from the 1930s were themselves remarkable feats of technological prowess
Daimler AG
The body structure of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept is made from carbon fiber
Daimler AG
A look inside the cockpit of the Mercedes Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept
Daimler AG
Each wheel of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept contains 168 lightweight aluminum spokes painted in rose gold
Daimler AG
Lighting strips built into the front and side skirts add a dash of color to the EQ Silver Arrow concept
Daimler AG
Each wheel of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept contains 168 lightweight aluminum spokes painted in rose gold
Daimler AG
The freshly unveiled Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept has a power output of 550 kW (750 hp)
Daimler AG
Side on look at the single seater Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept
Daimler AG
A look at the single seater Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept
Daimler AG
Rear-view of the single seater Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept
Daimler AG
The body structure of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept is made from carbon fiber
Daimler AG
Mercedes' Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept
Daimler AG
The original Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows from the 1930s were themselves remarkable feats of technological prowess
Daimler AG
Each wheel of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept contains 168 lightweight aluminum spokes painted in rose gold
Daimler AG
Each wheel of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept contains 168 lightweight aluminum spokes painted in rose gold
Daimler AG
Lighting strips built into the front and side skirts add a dash of color to the EQ Silver Arrow concept
Daimler AG
The freshly unveiled Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept has a power output of 550 kW (750 hp)
Daimler AG
The body structure of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept is made from carbon fiber
Daimler AG
Each wheel of the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept contains 168 lightweight aluminum spokes painted in rose gold
Daimler AG
The freshly unveiled Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept has a power output of 550 kW (750 hp)
Daimler AG
A look at the cockpit of the Mercedes Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept
Daimler AG
A look at the single seater Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept
Daimler AG
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQ Silver Arrow on the Concept Lawn at Pebble beach this weekend
Angus MacKenzie/New Atlas
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQ Silver Arrow on the Concept Lawn at Pebble beach this weekend
Angus MacKenzie/New Atlas
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQ Silver Arrow front detail
Angus MacKenzie/New Atlas
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQ Silver Arrow - customized tread
Angus MacKenzie/New Atlas
Pop-top - the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQ Silver Arrow
Angus MacKenzie/New Atlas
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQ Silver Arrow detail
Angus MacKenzie/New Atlas
A screen is built into the steering wheel 
Angus MacKenzie/New Atlas
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQ Silver Arrow detail
Angus MacKenzie/New Atlas
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQ Silver Arrow looks even more futuristic from the rear
Angus MacKenzie/New Atlas
A screen built into the steering wheel is shadowed by another serving as the instrument panel, which can also be used to play with Mercedes' virtual racing software
Angus MacKenzie/New Atlas
View gallery - 60 images

The original Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow was a remarkable feat of technological prowess, with its lightweight chassis and supercharged 595 bhp (444 kW) W125 making it a formidable opponent on the Grand Prix circuit in 1937. Eighty years on, the automaker is again looking to push the envelope by giving its iconic racer a stunning conceptual makeover for the EV era.

The W125 was a indeed a powerful presence in the 1937 Grand Prix, but it was to be a presence short-lived as it was replaced it with the W154 in 1938 to adhere to a new 3000-cc formula for Grand Prix cars.

It was on the autobahn where it really flexed its muscles, however, with a 736 bhp (541 kW), aerodynamic reworking of the W125 clocking the fastest speed ever on a public road at 432.7 km/h (268.9 mph), a record that stood until November last year.

Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer at Daimler AG, presents the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept at Monterey Car Week
Daimler AG

The freshly unveiled Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept is a tip of the hat to this record-breaking machine, with an output of 550 kW (750 hp) and a slender 80 kWh battery said to provide a 400 km (248 mi) range.

The body structure is made from carbon fiber, as are the front splitter, front trim and side skirts. The concept car is designed to appear like liquid metal, and we'd say it fares pretty well in that regard with layers of "alubeam silver" coating its 5.3-meter (17.3 ft) long body, while lighting strips built into the front and side skirts add a dash of color.

A screen is built into the steering wheel 
Angus MacKenzie/New Atlas

Each wheel contains 168 lightweight aluminum spokes painted in rose gold, dressed in 255/25 R 24 tires at the front and 305/25 R 26 at the rear, with customized treads. The forward-folding cockpit is fitted out with a beautifully presented combination of saddle brown leather, polished aluminum and solid walnut. A screen built into the steering wheel is shadowed by another serving as the instrument panel, which can also be used to play with Mercedes' virtual racing software.

Mercedes-Benz Vision EQ Silver Arrow - customized tread
Angus MacKenzie/New Atlas

The carmaker showed off the Vision EQ Silver Arrow at Pebble Beach as part of Monterey Car Week. We'd hazard a guess that this particular concept car is not intended for production, but more a way of imagining the future for Mercedes' EQ stable while honoring one of its most celebrated symbols of speed. Want a closer look? There are plenty of images in the gallery showing it from all angles.

Source: Daimler

View gallery - 60 images
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3 comments
guzmanchinky
wow
Expanded Viewpoint
EVs are such a sick joke, when are we going to tire hearing of them?? How much petroleum is consumed in the acquiring and refining of the metals needed to make the batteries? Look at how much more copper wiring is needed in the electric cars than a petroleum fueled one. The charging system infrastructure (that means electrical generation too!) is woefully inadequate to handle even just 3% of our current cars and trucks being replaced by EVs. Please don't tell me that wind power can replace coal powered steam plants, because the amount of electricity needed to make a wind turbine is more than that wind turbine will ever generate in its useful life time! Photo-voltaic systems are no solution either, just look at how much electricity is used to produce a single solar panel. Those things don't grow on trees, you know!
Randy
65tux
Randy, check your facts, this is not a political site where you can spew whatever half truths you find on the Internet. Regarding wind turbines: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/wind-idiot-power/. I'd give tons of other sources explaining how the rest of your statements are incorrect also, but you wouldn't believe any of them anyways so I'll leave it there.