That ain't no G-Wagen. will.i.am and Mercedes-AMG are back at it for the sixth time, concocting a custom car crazy enough to bear the "will.i.AMG" moniker.
And "bear" is right, because the one-off sports car — codenamed "The Flip" for its hybrid facade — comes is accompanied by the "BEAR WITNESS" capsule collection, printed with a logo that will.i.am devised to merge Mercedes' star logo with a visual representation of the sound his car makes.
More on that later, though, because the main thrust of this team-up is a charitable initiative close to will.i.am's heart.
"My collaboration is for a purpose," will.i.am told Highsnobiety. "And that purpose is to send kids to college with a STEM skill set to prepare for a technological tomorrow. I think it’s serendipitous that AMG can be 'will.i.AMG.'"
Revealed on May 5 during the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, will.i.AMG (AKA The Flip) lives up to its name by "flipping" a hodgepodge of Mercedes models into a single frankenstein'd ride.
You've got the round headlights of a G-Wagen, bumper intakes of the AMG variety, SLS Gullwing-inspired doors, and the low-slung frame of a GT, to name a few bits — the base body was a Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door — but despite its multiple stylistic cues, the resulting vehicle is strikingly cohesive.
The interior was realized in part through students supported by the i.am/Angel Foundation, will.i.am's charitable endeavor that aids students achieve a college degree in a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, or math) field.
Pupils in his after-school programs lent their talents to ideating the interior, a high-tech cocoon that aligns with will.i.am's own futurist inclinations.
Not only is Mercedes-AMG providing funding to the i.am/Angel Foundation, but part of the proceeds from the accompanying BEAR WITNESS capsule collection, which launches May 6 at 12pm EST on will.i.am's website, will also benefit his organization.
"I saw that the Mercedes logo is a bear’s mouth for people to BEAR WITNESS to inner-city kids' transformation out of their circumstances," will.i.am continued.
"I grew up in a ghetto. I grew up with hip hop. I watched legendary hip hop artist 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."
An extraordinary car befits extradentary press rollout, so will.i.am and Mercedes have also produced a whopping six-part documentary called DRIVE (not to be confused with the Ryan Gosling flick) that'll premiere during the 2022 Cannes festival.
The will.i.AMG keeps Mercedes' hot streak alive, as the German auto juggernaut has recently dished collaborative efforts with other taste-makers like Virgil Abloh, Palace, and A$AP Rocky.
