Going through just two generations since its 1978 introduction, the Mercedes G-Class may have started out as a military machine, but nowadays the off-roader has become a status symbol, with many famous names adding one (or more) to their car collection. However, rapper will.i.am is currently preparing to introduce his take on the Gelandewagen together with AMG, which seems to involve using the iconic face of the rugged SUV for a coupe, with the latter supposedly based on the Mercedes-AMG GT four-door.
Best known for being the mastermind behind The Black Eyed Peas and for his stellar collabs with countless major names in the music industry, will.i.am (William James Adams Jr.) also loves custom cars, especially one-offs.
And when the singer became Mercedes-AMG’s brand ambassador for electrified vehicles last September, many wondered how the collaboration would impact his garage. At first, it seemed that promoting the GT 63 S E Performance, an 831 hp, 1,082 lb-ft (1,468 Nm) plug-in hybrid four-door coupe would be the whole deal.
However, a series of teaser videos recently released by the brand, which is preparing us for a reveal on Thursday, May 5, seems to show a potentially shortened GT 63 S E Performance sporting a Mercedes-AMG G63 upper fascia, while the lower fascia resembles that of the GT 63—and some say off-road renderings are wild!
Instead of the road car’s four doors, we have a single pair of suicide doors, while the roof is adorned with two humongous transparent panels that may use electrochromic tech to become opaque at the touch of a button.
The rapper’s official page explains that he “created a car for Mercedes-AMG”, while the said teasers talk about a development that “will.i.am and AMG have worked on together”.
Serving a noble cause
Regardless, we expect this to be a one-off and the singer’s official page states that the project will “help fund inner-city school engineering programs to prepare our youth for a technological tomorrow,” a mission his one-offs, which he started releasing early last decade, have served in the past.
Now, when building his one-off machines, will.i.am appears to bring his design ideas to famous shops, while California-based West Coast Customs seems to be his outlet of choice, which is why we belive the company could be involved in this project.
As far as Mercedes-AMG is concerned, the upcoming release follows the footsteps of the Project Gelandewagen, a lowered, widebodied racing iteration of the G Wagon the carmaker and the late fashion designer co-released back in 2020.
