Outrageous concept cars are a part of every car show. Mercedes-Benz had its Advanced Design Studio in California team up with fashion designer Jeremy Scott for eight months to create a limited edition of the ForTwo EV city car for this year’s LA Auto Show.
Head of Mercedes-Benz and Smart design Gorden Wagener explains:
“Co-operations with fashion designers are normally limited to selecting interior materials and interior and exterior colour schemes. With Jeremy Scott, however, we wanted to go one step further and integrated the typical wings as a central design element in the vehicle body. This was quite a challenge, because it was not just a case of creating a showcar but rather of creating a near-series study with the potential for licensing it for road use in the future.”
Actually, the winged ForTwo is scheduled to go on sale, as head of Smart Dr Anette Winkler confirmed: “We will launch a limited special edition in 2013”, she said, adding that “I really look forward to cruising the city in this item of haute couture.”
As you can see in the detailed image gallery that follows, the ForJeremy features a bright white bodywork while the Tridion safety cell, the frame of the grille and the “eyebrows” above the headlights are chrome plated and the white-against-chrome theme continues in the cabin.
Additionally, the alloy wheels are shaped, according to Smart, like airplane propellers and then, of course, there’s the non-too-subtle winged treatment of the rear end.
Under the wings skin, Smart’s fashion-conscious city car is based on the all-electric version of the ForTwo. It features a 17.6 kWh lithium-ion battery pack and a 74HP (55 kW) electric motor that offers a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) acceleration time of just 4.8 seconds, a top speed of 125 km/h (78 mph) and a maximum range of “approximately” 145 km (90 miles).
By Andrew Tsaousis
PHOTO GALLERY
