Long before they turned to making anonymous jelly beans with the personality of a cubicle, Mercedes built interesting cars that were, at times, revolutionary.
The company has tried to recapture that magic with the Vision One-Eleven concept, which pays tribute to the C 111 experimental vehicles from the 1960s and 70s. They pushed the limits and explored extreme aerodynamics as well as Wankel and turbodiesel power.
That’s a deal-breaker these days, so the concept is fully electric and embraces a new battery concept that uses “high-performance liquid-cooled cylindrical cells with a novel cell chemistry.” They’re joined by an “extremely powerful and highly efficient axial-flux motor.” Mercedes was coy on specifics, but noted axial-flux motors are roughly one-third smaller and lighter than traditional motors, despite having the same output.
More: Mercedes Vision One-Eleven Is A Futuristic EV Hypercar With One Eye On the Past
Besides the mysterious powertrain, the concept has a retro-inspired design with flowing bodywork and gullwing doors. They’re joined by a pixelated ‘grille’ that “interprets the C 111’s characteristic round lights in digitized form and can also convey messages to other road users.”
Moving further back, there’s aggressive side skirts and massive wheels. They’re joined by a pronounced rear diffuser and a digital display that echoes the one up front.
The interior is a bit plain, but Mercedes said it “reflects the paradigm shift from [a] self-driven sports car to [an] autonomous electric vehicle within the super sports car segment and unites two completely different states of being.” As such, it has lounge and race modes with the latter aimed at DIY driving.
Putting that aside, the interior has a pixelated display that gives the concept the ambience of a subway station. Other highlights include polished aluminum accents, bright orange leather, and white fabric that is made from 100% recycled polyester.
