Rapper Will.i.am Just Debuted a One-Off Mercedes-AMG Sports Car

Will.i.am is probably very best recognized as the front man for the Black Eyed Peas, but in the qualifications he is been a motor vehicle male and technologist for years. On Thursday Will.i.am (born William James Adams Jr.), in a partnership with Mercedes-AMG, disclosed a thought automobile that is portion AMG GT coupe and part G-Course SUV. It will debut officially at the System A person race in Miami this weekend.

The vehicle is cheekily called WILL.I.AMG and is primarily based on the Mercedes-AMG 4-Doorway Coupe. In addition to the noticeable entire body graft of the G-Class SUV’s entrance conclusion, Will also jettisoned a pair of doors and reinstalled the remaining kinds “suicide-style” meaning they hinge in the again. The wheels are created to glance like the legendary AMG Hammer rolling inventory and the roof has glass panels like a t-major.

The car or truck was developed with West Coast Customs of MTV fame and will be offered by will.i.am along with seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton on Sunday.

The Flip program’s mission is to give learners from disadvantaged communities access to STEAM education and learning (science, technologies, engineering, arts and math) to put together them for foreseeable future careers. It can be 1 of many initiatives from the rapper’s i.am/Angel Basis, which has raised millions of bucks around a lot more than a 10 years.

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He appeared at the inaugural Initially Robotics Competitors in 2011 and created a Tv display about it. In 2016 he obtained the Tel Aviv machine-understanding start-up Sensiya. He was also the chief inventive officer for German company Deutsche Telekom and in 2017 he received an award from the Establishment of Engineering and Technologies for his contribution to the profession of engineering.

This is just not the first time Will.i.am has built a motor vehicle. In 2013 he released the earth to iAMauto, an automotive firm that created at the very least one coupe, again with help from West Coast Customs. Much more not long ago he redesigned a Tesla Product S to questionable final results.

“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 aspiration to possess a Mercedes. For a large amount of internal-metropolis youngsters, owning a Mercedes is a symbol of development and advancing out of battle,” explained Will.i.am in a statement.

“Now I have arrived at my objective and pushed even higher by reimagining and developing my personal eyesight of an AMG design. But I didn’t contact the motor, simply because AMG genuinely does make the most effective engines. The tale of the founders of AMG really conjures up me and it is energizing to collaborate with like-minded folks who also find ongoing advancement.”

That engine he is noting is the 4.-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that Mercedes places in all its even larger or more quickly motor vehicles. In the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door it can make 630 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of torque.

“Our cooperation with will.i.am has achieved a new peak with ‘The Flip’. We have inspired and inspired each other in the realization of this holistic idea, which is much extra than an exceptional automotive one particular-off. We acquire our duty to culture seriously,” mentioned Philipp Schiemer, Chairman of the Board of Administration of Mercedes-AMG GmbH in a push launch.

“The good results of Mercedes-AMG as a Performance Luxury manufacturer also depends to a big extent on inspiring the upcoming generation and providing them simple entry to the most recent systems and electronic development. It is portion of our custom to constantly be pioneers and to dare to do one thing new.”