LONDON: American musician and philanthropist will.i.am has teamed up with Mercedes-AMG to create a one-off custom vehicle called the WILL.I.AMG.
Nicknamed “The Flip,” the modified sports car is based on the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe.
And according to the superstar rapper, the car is part of his mission to help kids from disadvantaged communities into science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) jobs, with all funds raised from the unique vehicle going to inner city school engineering programs.
The car was unveiled at the inaugural Formula One Grand Prix in Miami this weekend.
“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,” will.i.am said.
“For a lot of inner-city kids, owning a Mercedes is a symbol of progress and advancing out of struggle, now I’ve reached my goal and pushed even higher by re-imagining and creating my own vision of an AMG model,” he added.
He said the car was also a “visible symbol of the goals” to “boldly drive forward new ideas, push boundaries and dare to do the impossible.”
And for Mercedes as a brand, the WILL.I.AMG is a symbol of the manufacturer's commitment to social responsibility.
“We take our responsibility to society seriously,’ Philipp Schiemer, chairman of the board of management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH, said.
“The success of Mercedes-AMG as a performance luxury brand also depends to a large extent on inspiring the next generation and giving them easy access to the latest technologies and digital progress,” he added.
