Virgil Abloh's Off-Road Maybach Concept Challenges the Status Quo
This new concept is now somewhat of a tribute to the late fashion designer.
Paying Tribute
Virgil Abloh was most famous for founding the design company Off-White and leading the menswear division at Louis Vuitton, but the legendary fashion designer also collaborated with Mercedes-Benz on the amazing G-Class based work of art dubbed Project Geländewagen. Sadly, Abloh passed away recently at the tender age of 41 after a battle with cancer, making his latest MB collab - Project Maybach - a sudden and unexpected tribute to man himself.
Photos: Mercedes-Benz
Built from Scratch
Project Maybach was designed under Abloh's guidance along with Mercedes-Benz chief design officer Gorden Wagener. The visually interesting vehicle was built completely from scratch, sports a long hood symbolic of Maybach vehicles of the past, and spans a total of 20 feet in length. But this is no luxurious on-road cruiser as one might expect.
Photos: Mercedes-Benz
>>Join the conversation about this special Maybach Concept right here in MBWorld.org
Off-Roading in Luxury
Rather, Project Maybach was designed to be a rugged off-roader with an exterior roll cage, knobby tires, skid plates, and fender flares with exposed hardware. There's also plenty of additional lighting mounted inside a bull bar up front and roof rack, which complement the signature chunky front grille.
Photos: Mercedes-Benz
>>Join the conversation about this special Maybach Concept right here in MBWorld.org
Innovative Features
The two-seater features decidedly Gran Turismo-inspired styling and was inspired by the great outdoors, while also offering up the sorts of fine details and luxurious features one might expect from a Maybach. It's also an all-electric vehicle and is filled with innovative features such as built-in solar panels located on the front hood that is capable of adding charge to the battery pack.
Photos: Mercedes-Benz
>>Join the conversation about this special Maybach Concept right here in MBWorld.org
Status Quo
Abloh's passion was to challenge the status quo and re-write the rulebook of aspirational design, which he achieved time and time again with his wide array of work. Project Maybach is yet another perfect example of this, a vehicle that's so far-fetched that no one saw it coming.
Photos: Mercedes-Benz
>>Join the conversation about this special Maybach Concept right here in MBWorld.org
Conversation Piece
No one would have ever expected to see a Maybach off-road vehicle, and yet, here we are. Whether or not such a machine would ever reach production remains to be seen, but this concept certainly does a fine job of attracting attention and evoking a conversation, if nothing else.
Photos: Mercedes-Benz
>>Join the conversation about this special Maybach Concept right here in MBWorld.org
Gone too Soon
Sadly, the supremely talented Abloh is gone from this earth far too soon, but this concept is yet another piece of his art that will never be forgotten. "Mercedes-Benz is devastated to hear of the passing of Virgil Abloh," the automaker said in a statement. "Our sincere thoughts are with Virgil's family and teams. Now opening the world of our collaboration, and Virgil's unique vision, to the public, we want to respectfully celebrate the work of a truly unique design talent, who created endless possibilities for collaboration through his unbridled imagination and inspired all that knew his work."
Photos: Mercedes-Benz
>>Join the conversation about this special Maybach Concept right here in MBWorld.org
For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our How-to section in the forum.