Mercedes-AMG has been pushing the limits of luxury vehicle performance for more than thirty years, and it’s finishing up testing on one of its most impressive models yet. The two-seat PureSpeed roadster is a roofless, windscreen-free, racecar-inspired sports car that first turned heads in Monaco back in May of this year.
A few months later, prototypes of the limited-edition model are undergoing test drives in Northern Italy before heading south to Nardò for some track runs. This road and track testing program encompasses a roughly 1,800-mile journey for the roadster. Imagine driving from New York City to Denver, Colorado with no roof or windscreen, because that’s essentially what the PureSpeed test drivers are doing as we speak.
To make this unique design possible, PureSpeed’s HALO safety system replaces the standard A-pillar design found in most vehicles. A technology taken straight from Formula 1 racing, this system utilizes a single curved bar integrated into the car’s body to protect occupants. That said, at the end of the day this car still has no windscreen, so Mercedes-AMG designed a pair of aerodynamic helmets for the driver and passenger to wear while cruising.
Only 250 models of the PureSpeed will be built, reserving it for the most passionate enthusiasts and collectors around the world. It’s also the inaugural model of the new Mercedes-Benz Mythos series, which is set to produce some of the most intriguing limited-edition vehicles the brand has ever made.
No official launch date for the PureSpeed has been released, but we’ll be back to cover its debut when the time comes.