Mercedes-Benz has recently announced that its R&D wing will only work on electric powertrains and platforms after 2025
Obendorfer’s creation is dubbed the Icon E Concept and is based on the current E-Class. Despite the vehicle’s familiar underpinnings, it adopts both interior and exterior designs drastically different than any other Merc.
In designing the Icon E Concept, some of the most recognizable elements of the W115 have been brought into the modern world. For example, there is a large chrome front grille and a pair of upright headlights similar to those of the W115, but with a more square and aggressive shape. Elsewhere, the car sits on a set of wheels with body-colored rims and chrome trim.
Boxy cars are lovely, let’s admit. The boxy-ness of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is, in fact, one of many reasons for its strong cult. In the era of the 80s, even the sedans were boxy. Today, Mercedes-Benz sedans have strong wind-cheating capabilities, which were absent on the boxy W114s and W115s. However, they looked great. And we recently came across a digital illustration of the W115 in an electrified avatar
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The rear of the vehicle also looks quite similar to the W115, but again, it has been brought into the 21st century with some significant alterations. The Icon E Concept may be quite different from the current E-Class, or any other modern Merc for that matter, but it does show that the iconic design of the W115 lends itself quite well to a fresh interpretation.
In the interior, there are the same dual screens used for the digital gauge cluster and infotainment system as the actual E-Class . Alterations have been made to the layout of cabin to make it a little more simple, while a retro-looking steering wheel is also featured.
It would take a very brave (and wealthy) person to take a perfectly good E-Class and commission a coachbuilder to make something like the Icon E a reality. But it’s still a nice try at trying to show how a past icon might have looked like.
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