Mercedes-AMG and musician will.i.am have teamed up to turn an AMG GT into the love child of an SLS Gullwing and a G-wagon SUV. Called “The Flip”, the one-off concept due to be unveiled at the Grand Prix USA in Miami, Floirida, is the latest fruit of a collaboration between the automaker and the hip-hop star that began in September 2021 and was conceived to help disadvantaged communities get access to arts and science education.
The project is based around an AMG GT
4-Door coupe, though that’s not immediately apparent unless you can see the
rear end from your vantage point. The GT’s four conventionally opening doors
have been replaced by a heavily-scalloped single rear-opening suicide door on
each side. But the real shocker is the square-jawed nose, which is clearly
inspired by the front end of that perennial hip-hop favorite, the G-Class SUV,
but combined with the low coupe roof also happens to remind us of some kind of
fake 1965 Ford Mustang fastback. A pair of circular headlamps is mounted either
side of a slat-filled rectangular grille in which the traditional Mercedes
three-pointed star has been repurposed to become the mouth of a grumpy bear.
Dubbed “Bear Witness”, the feature is a
visible link to an apparel collection of the same name that will be available
both at the Mercedes-AMG Experience Center in Miami and online. A portion of
the profits will go to the i.am/Angel Foundation that wants to give communities
access to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) education to
help lift them out of poverty.
The lower half of the bumper is crammed
full of hungry air intakes, the outer pair featuring AMG’s segmented stripe
logo, and the pronounced hood bulge hints at the unspecified number of horses located
beneath. AMG doesn’t specify which engine The Flip is equipped with, which
seems kind of weird if the idea is to encourage kids to get into tech. But
whether it’s the 362 hp inline six from the AMG GT 43, or the 630 hp bi-turbo V8 from the GT 63 S, we do know it’s stock.
We don’t get a proper look at the rear
styling or the interior either, so we imagine they’re also stock, but the
wheels definitely aren’t. Their retro design features five short, fat spokes,
just like wheels on AMGs from the 1990s, such as the E55, an influence
will.i.am alludes to.
