Examining the Beauty of the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQ Silver Arrow
Mercedes-Benz has plenty of history from which they can pull out a concept so beautiful and ethereal that it can make our eyes water. And that’s exactly what they have done when they pulled back the sheet from the Vision EQ Silver Arrow at the Monterey Car Week in Pebble Beach, California.
The concept is a forward-looking take on the legendary streamliners of the 1930s, particularly the W125 Rekordwagen which set the world record for the highest speed on a public road. It held that record for 79 years until the Koenigsegg Agera RS went 8 mph faster last fall. For added context, the Rekordwagen is scheduled to appear alongside this Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept.
The difference would be what’s under the hood. The W125 made its 275 horsepower from a twin-supercharged 5.6-liter V-12 engine while the Vision EQ Silver Arrow will produce 750 horsepower using two electric motors (one per axle) and an 80kWh battery. The W125 can comfortably exceed 250 miles per hour while the Vision EQ is built to produce 250 miles per charge.
The exterior is made of carbon fiber, and to achieve that Silver Arrow appearance, the top layer of the exterior was painted in Alubeam Silver. This is a reference to the unpainted metal of old cars. The liquid-like finish is matched by the very fluid surfacing. You can find not a single crease on the Vision EQ. The only “imperfections” found on the smooth surface were the place where the top surface meets the unpainted front mask and the protruding side skirts.
The 168-spoke wheels are half-covered and they are painted in “rose gold” to loosely resemble the copper wire inside an electric motor. Since this is a concept car, the wheels are naturally so big it’s almost impossible to imagine what tires could fit them.
According to Mercedes, the Vision EQ Silver Arrow is intended to draw on the brand’s legacy of unmatched acceleration and driving pleasure. It “provides an insight into the future of our design.”
