Pebble Beach 2018: Mercedes unveils vintage-inspired Vision EQ Silver Arrow EV

Mercedes has taken the wraps off a new concept that reimagines the company’s 1938 land-speed record car as a cutting-edge electric vehicle.

Unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance motor show in Monterey, California, the Vision EQ Silver Arrow concept mimics the sleek lines of the company’s historic W125 Rekordwagen racing car.

Mercedes made headlines worldwide in 1938 when German driver Rudolf Caracciola piloted a modified version of the W125 to a record-breaking 269mph on a public road near Frankfurt, says automotive news blog Motor Authority.

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The Vision EQ Silver Arrow features the same silver paint and brown leather interior as the vintage racing car, but the concept’s design is notably more futuristic looking, says The Sun.

Rather than the W125 Rekordwagen’s aluminium bodywork, the body panels of the new single-seater EV are made from lightweight carbon fibre and are adorned with glowing EQ logos behind the front wheels.

There’s also a small tail fin bending the cockpit and a small carbon-fibre wing at the rear end of the car, to help improve the car’s stability at high speed.

According to Auto Express, the Vision EQ Silver Arrow is powered by a 740bhp electric powertrain that is paired with an 80kWh battery pack. Mercedes says the battery can deliver a range of 249 miles on a single charge.

It’s unlikely the car will ever turn a wheel, though.

Mercedes launched concept cars at Pebble Beach in 2016 and 2017, but neither have been turned into production models.

However, Autocar says that the electric powertrain employed in the Vision EQ Silver Arrow may appear in performance versions of future Mercedes EVs.