German designer Philipp Plein and Mansory joined forces to work on the all-new Mercedes-AMG G63 and showcase a highly customized finished product in Geneva.
There will be a limited edition run of just 20 units, with each car taking some six weeks to build. Instead of the stock G63’s 585 PS (577 HP), this one makes a whopping 850 PS (838 HP), while peak torque was bumped from 850 Nm (626 lb-ft) to 1,000 Nm (737 lb-ft). As a result, the Star Trooper will hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in a claimed 3.5 seconds.
Militarized luxury
There’s nothing conservative about this G-Class. From the single-piece M23 forged wheels to the Military-style wrap, carbon fiber elements, new logos or the custom interior, everything is there to attract attention – hence the £500,000 ($655,000) asking price.
According to Plein, his passion for cars started at a very early age and never let up.
“I have a picture of myself with a toy car under the Christmas tree at four years old,” said the designer in an interview with GQ. “I think that’s probably when I fell in love with them. All boys are fascinated with speed and for me there are four things that drive the men’s market: fashion, girls, cars and sport.”
That’s not to say that the Star Trooper is only for men. “We’ve built a little step into the car for ladies. If your girlfriend wants to drive it than it should really be easy for them to get into.”
Finally, he explained why it takes so long for each car to be made, stating that “even the painting process alone takes three weeks.”
“Nearly everything is custom made. We originally wanted to call it the Star Wars edition because of the red LED lights in the ceiling, which you only find in the Rolls Royce, but legally that name is already owned so we settled on Star Trooper instead.”