“Collaboration is when two people, groups, brands, ideologies, come together with two different languages to create a new one,” Abloh continued. “Mercedes-Benz is a brand that stands for luxury and exceptional performance. There’s a history to the brand and the effects it has had on culture that just can’t be denied.”
Designer Virgil Abloh has teamed up with Mercedes Benz to create a conceptual version of the Mercedes‑Benz G‑Class car called Project Geländewagen.
Abloh and Mercedes-Benz chief design officer Gorden Wagener’s one-off redesign of the four-wheel drive luxury SUV, which dates back to the 1970s, reinterprets the vehicle as a race car.
Project Geländewagen has a boxy form. Top image: Abloh’s car is an art piece
Project Geländewagen retains the G‑Class’s iconic boxy form but is lower and wider to give it a more sporty look.
The exterior was painted white and sanded by hand to emphasis its monolithic shape. Other adaptations to the traditional design include the removal of indicators, outside mirrors and bumper bar.
“With Project Geländewagen we create a unique artwork that showcases future interpretations of luxury and the desire for beauty and the extraordinary,” said Wagener. “The result is something between reality and future.”
Initially teased back in July, “Project Geländewagen” — a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Virgil Abloh — has finally been unveiled. Working with Mercedes-Benz Chief Design Officer Gorden Wagener, Abloh has designed an artistic model of the iconic G-Class, which celebrated its 40th birthday last year.
As owners of a G-Class car themselves, Abloh and Wagener used their personal experience when considering how Mercedes-Benz designs could be seen in a new light. Their aim was to drive luxury away from a polished and flawless aesthetic, instead creating something that was more raw and natural.
The exterior of the car arrives in a clean white to emphasize its silhouette, all the while laying its construction methods bare and celebrating the handcrafted imperfections that make it unique, the paintwork has been partially sanded by hand to create a sense of simplicity.
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