By: IOL Motoring Staff
Monterey, California - Every August classic car fans from around the world come to Pebble Beach in Monterey for a very special beauty contest. It's also the perfect place to display a futuristic concept that pays homage to the achingly beautiful aero coupés of the late 1930s.
This, then is the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6, a big 2+2 seater GT in the classic tradition, almost six metres overall with a long, long bonnet, low roof line and fastback rear styling - but with a next-generation, 550kW pure electric powertrain.
Its shape echoes the principles developed - without the aid of computer-aided design or wind tunnels - by the great French coachbuilders, Figoni & Falaschi and Saoutchik, in the golden era before the Second World War.
But the narrow head and tail-light clusters, extravagantly tapered side sills and full-width front treatment are pure new age, almost science fiction in their sweeping simplicity - which is how a concept should be. Even the 24 inch rims have translucent body-colour shields that highlight the aluminium spokes behind them.
The interior is also intended to channel the style and luxury of the Thirties, with 'real' materials such as high-quality leather, rose gold-plated trim elements and wood trim and flooring in elm, the palest open-pore wood in the current Mercedes-Benz custom portfolio.
Deeply inset, crystal-look "hyperanalogue" main instruments contrast with display elements integrated into a continuous glass trim across the fascia, which is actually a full-width touchscreen.
Next-generation performance
The concept has four permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors - one on each wheel - with a combined output of 550kW, and a shallow underfloor battery pack with a nominal capacity of 80kWh - which is less than nine minutes at full tilt boogie.
That nine minutes is likely to be quite exciting, however, as the concept is capable of launching from 0-100km/h in less than four seconds, with an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h.
To add some perspective, Volkswagen engineers famously warned Top Gear's James May that at 400km/h the Bugatti Veyron would empty its 100-litre fuel tank in 12 minutes.
But it does raise the spectre of range anxiety. According to the EU's NEDC formula the Vision 6 should have a range of more than 500km, driven sensibly. However, the EPA formula for working out hypothetical battery range comes up with a figure of about 320km - and even the EPA figures have proven to be optimistic in real-world driving tests on existing electric cars.
Which is why Mercedes has come up with a custom-made 350kW direct-current charging system that will give the concept an extra 100km or so of driving with just five minutes of charging - hardly enough time for She Who Has the Casting Vote to visit the powder room at the charging station.