5. Mercedes-Maybach Project 6
Originally presented in Pebble Beach in 2016 as a coupé and a year later in Monterey as a convertible, the Project 6 is a 6-metre long retro-design by excellence, powered by a 750 hp all electrical engine capable of charging up to 350 kW, meaning 100 km in around five minutes. This 2+2 coupé and convertible are in the words of the chief design officer Gorden Wagener both “H๏τ & cool”, and you could add to that both modern and retro, the former on the interior, the latter on the exterior. However you want to call it, it’s a beautiful automobile!
4. GT by Citroën
No mistake – this is really a Citroën and actually a concept that was presented back in 2008, but that doesn’t look a day old. As is the case with the Lambo further down it was developed for a computer game, in this case Gran Turismo 5. It’s a mid-engined, two-seater coupé that in the game used a hydrogen, fuel cell engine, but that in real life in the prototype built has the V8 from the Mk II Ford GT (that I covered a few weeks ago, see here if you missed it). That explains the sound in Supercar Blondie’s video above. It was rumoured back in 2009 that Citroën would built six of these for road usage, it’s however unclear if that ever happened.
3. Bugatti Atlantic
Carrying the name of a true legend (the Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic), the Atlantic is the car that was never built. It was supposed to complement the Bugatti line-up back in 2015 but a lack of resources within VW meant that it never got that far. That’s really a shame, because it’s difficult to imagine a more beautiful car. The retro elements are in perfect balance with the more modern parts, it’s easy to see that the true life version is even nicer than the pictures, and both the doors and the booth are a real party trick, as illustrated in the video… I want one!!
2. Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR
A bit more text here since the AVTR is a very interesting creation that will not hit the roads in the current form, but elements of which will hopefully do so in other Mercedes models over the coming years. In short, the AVTR (meaning Advanced Vehicle Transformation) is Mercedes’s vision for the future. The shape of the car was developed together with the team behind Avatar and to start there, the rear features a full panel of solar panels that will generate enough energy to handle so called secondary functions in the car, enabling the 110 kW batteries to be used fully for range maximization, of up to 700 km. The fact that each wheel is independent means the car can drive sideways up to 30%, as shown in the video.
The battery pack is extremely interesting since it’s based on a new organic battery technology with a high-tension, compact battery on the basis of graphene. Organic means the battery doesn’t need the rare metals that are one of the main issues of today’s batteries, as highlighted in my post a few weeks ago (see here). This also means that the battery is recyclable to 100%.
Finally the interior is a chapter in itself. There is no longer a steering wheel but rather a central pad that recognizes you when you put your hand on it, and that moves as you move your hand. The windscreen becomes an augmented reality screen, and the seats are made in a new kind of bio-degradable Dinamica material. I would guess the material from the seats will hit production quicker than the steering pad…
1. Lamborghini Vision GT
Perhaps the most spectacular car of all five mentioned here is the Vision GT. Next to the Citroën it’s also the other car that was developed for a video game, in this case Gran Turismo 2019 for PS4. Lambo then built a single unit of the car, which even by Sant’ Agata standards has to be described as design-wise rather extreme! The single-seater is super low with wings and a mᴀssive diffusor at the back, wheels and brake pads are gold plated, and the combination of the same Lamborghini V12 as in the Siàn, and a small electrical engine gives a total power output of 804 hp. I thought I had seen it all when I saw Lambo’s Sesto Elemento but this thing is in a league of its own, although it will most probably never hit production. Our star of the week Supercar Blondie made a nice video of the car that tells the story much better than I can and that you’ll find here!
