There's no question about the quality available at
the Mercedes-Benz design department, but this race car created by an
independent pencil-man Martin Chatelier is at least up there with anything we've seen coming out of Stuttgart lately, concepts included.
At first, it looks like it
has absolutely zero in common with the Mercedes-Benz design language. That's
because the LMP cars usually have to play by the rules of aerodynamics, so they
end up looking more or less the same, regardless of their manufacturer.
However, since his proposal won't actually have to take part in a race, he had
a lot more freedom of expression, so he managed to squeeze in a few details
seen on recent Mercedes-Benz concepts.
Take the "headlights," for example. If
they look familiar, it's because this styling has been used on cars such as the
F015 Luxury in Motion or, more recently, on the IAA Concept Car. Apart from
that, though, take the three-pointed star away and this car could present
itself with any other badge out there, no questions asked.
But there's more to the Mercedes-Benz DTW concept
than just its looks. The race car also hides a host of innovative technologies
that, Martin thinks, would help this futuristic silver arrow win the 24-hour
race in 2030. That means they're all aimed at improving its performances while
also ensuring they offer maximum reliability.
Naturally, the car has electric propulsion, but the
real novelty is what's providing the charge on the go. Instead of using an
internal combustion engine or a gas turbine, the DTW concept has a Tesla
Turbine, with two compressed air tanks providing the necessary fuel. The car
also comes with an Aerodynamic Energy Recovery System - or AERS - that sees
four flaps deploy to capture the air and compress it naturally to be later used
for powering the turbine.
The four flaps also work as air brakes, and even
though Martin doesn't specify this, we'd imagine that since there are two of
them on each side, they could also be used during cornering for increased
stability. The chassis and body of the car are made out of graphene, which
means the vehicle is extremely lightweight and, since this wonder material is
transparent, also offers a very large field of view to the driver.
