New will.I.AM Mercedes comes with suicide doors, G-Wagen headlights and a bear logo on the grille
Published on May 06, 2022 at 10:02 AM (UTC+4)
by Patrick Jackson
Last updated on Jul 01, 2022 at 5:16 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
He may be best-known as the frontman of the Black Eyed Peas, but will.i.AM has been making strides into the world of automotive and tech over the past decade.
Now, the innovative rapper has teamed up with Mercedes-AMG and West Coast Customs for a project dubbed ‘The Flip’ to create a unique one-off car based on the AMG GT 4 door.
Speaking to Supercar Blondie, will.i.AM said the project had a significant purpose driving it.
“I built this car to raise awareness and money to build robotics teams in underprivileged communities, to prepare the inner-city youth for a technological autonomous tomorrow,” he said.
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The incredible details of the WILL.I.AMG
The car is set to be unveiled in the flesh at the F1 Miami Grand Prix and it’s called the ‘WILL.I.AMG’.
The vehicle has been extensively modified.
It now features a pair of long suicide doors, rather than the four normal ones it originally had.
Most distinctly, though, it features a new front-end that’s clearly inspired by the G-Wagen, while the rear appears to be largely unchanged save for a new split rear spoiler design.
Even the Mercedes logo has been altered to incorporate a bear into its design, with the new logo to be incorporated in an apparel line called ‘BEAR WITNESS’ which will launch May 6 on will.i.AM’s website.
There’s only one bit of the base vehicle will.i.AM hasn’t touched – the engine.
“I didn’t touch the engine… because AMG really does make the best engines.”
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The one-off has been created for a good cause, too, as the project aims to give students from disadvantaged communities access to science, technology, engineering, arts, and math education to better-equip them with the skills necessary for future-focused jobs.
As such, all activities surrounding the vehicle will benefit the rapper’s i.am/Angel Foundation which provides these STEAM education opportunities.
The vehicle will be officially unveiled at the Miami Grand Prix; a six-part documentary about its creation, DRIVE, will be teased at the event ahead of a full launch at the 2022 Cannes film festival.
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A car zealot from a young age, Patrick has put his childhood spent obsessing over motoring magazines and TV shows to good use over the past six years as a journalist. Fuelled by premium octane coffee, he’s contributed to Finder, DriveTribe, WhichCar, Vehicle History and Drive Section.
