Mercedes Simplex Concept, the modern version of the first Mercedes

Major brands are already blowing out more than 100 candles, and to celebrate that more-than-a-century milestone they tend to look back and want to revive those first models that made them innovative decades ago. Mercedes-Benz is one of the brands that have surpassed 118 years, along with its parent company Daimler. In 1901 it launched a model meant to be a milestone and set a trend in the automotive market.

The Mercedes Simplex was the first car to receive the name Mercedes, because that was the name of the daughter of Emil Jellinek, a Daimler partner who proposed creating this vehicle. Today, more than a century later, the Mercedes Simplex is being prepared: a fully electric prototype that pays tribute to that first Mercedes and aims to recover its original design.

The Mercedes Simplex Concept offers the look that made it popular in its time. A two-seat body with the wheels separated from the car’s body presented an original design and was quickly adopted for the racing of the era. With the Mercedes Simplex Concept this design is revived, a design that was manufactured for road use from 1902 to 1909.

It is a prototype, so functionality is not its strong point. For that reason, it lacks a windscreen, and the interior is completely minimalist, with a large screen that provides all the information needed to drive safely.

The front grille is an eye-catching rose gold colour, and at the rear there is a leather bag serving as a boot, while the rear lights have been replaced by a light strip. The blue upholstery of the two-seat bench contrasts with the black and white bodywork, in a design that shows the modernity of this electric vehicle with the curious shape of a pioneering car that made history.