Mason Bloom
Prominent singer/songwriter will.i.am and ever-popular automaker Mercedes-Benz have lifted the veil off of a unique one-of-one concept car. The WILL.I.AMG is a mishmash of some of Mercedes’ most luxurious models on the market and was created to support the STEAM cause for better education. A six-part documentary giving an overview of the build will premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
This AMG GT Four-Door and G-Class hybrid concoction is the work of West Coast Customs. If West Coast Customs sounds familiar, it’s because they were the face of many similar aftermarket vehicles including singer Justin Bieber’s one-off, “floating” Rolls-Royce and rapper Post Malone’s wild Ford Explorer. The tuning shop borrowed the GT Four-Door’s bodywork and the G-Class’ unmistakable front end to create a vehicle like nothing you’ve seen before. will.i.am’s latest vehicle also comes equipped with rear-hinged suicide doors serving as a dash of West Coast Customs’ flair.
Mercedes’ iconic three-pointed logo located on the grille has been swapped out for a cartoon-like bear. The bold move symbolizes will.i.am’s latest limited-edition clothing and accessories line “Bear Witness” that Mercedes says will be available to purchase online or at its Mercedes-AMG Experience Center in Miami, Fl.
The focus of the WILL.I.AMG project is to bring light to educational injustices surrounding low-income communities by giving them STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) education. will.i.am dubbed this philanthropic effort “The Flip – Innovation for Purpose,” and seeks to give children the skills necessary to receive jobs, succeed, and leave poverty.
“I grew up in a ghetto. I grew up with hip-hop. I watched legendary hip-hop artists rap about Mercedes, so it was always a dream to own a Mercedes. For a lot of inner-city kids, owning a Mercedes is a symbol of progress and advancing out of struggle,” noted will.i.am, explaining his motive to build the one-off.
The Flip is the latest initiative to fund lower-income areas and offer technology-related programs including coding, graphic design, and robotics among many others. Mercedes will end up purchasing the WILL.I.AMG; all proceedings will make their way to robotics programs and the car to Mercedes’ Stuttgart museum.
The WILL.I.AMG will make its first public appearance at Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix this coming weekend.
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