London Designer makes over CLS 63 AMG, with surprising results.

Mercedes-Benz and luxury menswear brand Spencer Hart have unveiled an exciting new collaboration at London Collections: Men; the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake by Spencer Hart.  The two brands, whose shared creative ethos draws from understated elegance, style and glamour, have partnered to bring together design philosophies from the worlds of fashion and automotive engineering.

Unveiled as the finale to the Spencer Hart London Collections: Men show, the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake by Spencer Hart has been styled by Nick Hart, the brand’s Creative Director, and showcases the work of AMG’s Performance Studio and bespoke optioning.  Mercedes-Benz’s first UK fashion collaboration sees the designer crafting a unique design, which will be available for customers to order.

The CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake by Spencer Hart appears in a specially created colour ‘Nick Hart Midnight Blue’, which is Spencer Hart’s signature colour.  In place of the traditional Mercedes-Benz chrome accents and wheels, Nick Hart has chosen subtle, dark, understated finishes for interior trim details, and the external highlights.

The luxurious cabin of the bespoke Mercedes-Benz takes inspiration from Spencer Hart’s flagship store in Brook Street, in particular the exclusive walnut panelled personal shopping area, ‘The Vault’.  The CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake by Spencer Hart has specially sourced dark Chocolate Brown Italian leather seats with contrasting Midnight Blue stitching, with the Spencer Hart logo (inspired by the Parker Hotel in Palm Springs), embroidered into each headrest.  The unique design is further enhanced by Nick Hart’s signature, creating a subtle feature on the centre console.

Unveiled for the first time at London Collections: Men, the collaboration is revealed at The  Old Sorting Office on 16 June, following Spencer Hart’s SS14 collection showcase. The collection complements the sleek understated design of the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake by Spencer Hart which includes hues of inspiration from 1960’s Funk music.

Working with both classic fits and new shapes, Spencer Hart has introduced longer shirts and kaftans into the SS14 collection. Lightweight shirting jackets and bright coloured prints mark a new direction for the brand.  Models’ looks are finished with sandals by T-Michael and sneakers by Generic Surplus, alongside hats by Laird and bespoke sunglasses created by Oliver Goldsmith, which will be available to purchase at the Brook Street Store.

Nick Hart, Creative Director of Spencer Hart said: “It seemed a natural fit to work on a car project with Mercedes-Benz. I have always been a fan of the brand and creating something that was uniquely Spencer Hart and ultimately cool as opposed to commercial, has resulted in something that both Spencer Hart and Mercedes-Benz are proud of.”

Marcus Breitschwerdt, President and CEO, Mercedes-Benz UK, said of the collaboration: "AMG is the UK's fastest-growing high performance brand, gaining more new customers than ever before.  Our AMG Performance Studio can create cars as unique as their owners, which is why we decided to show what can be achieved through this collaboration with Spencer Hart.  This car demonstrates that with creativity and imagination, which Nick Hart has in abundance, you can create something really special."

Rob Halloway, Communications and Events Director, Mercedes-Benz UK, added: "The CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake by Spencer Hart shows what is possible with the AMG brand and with Nick Hart's signature subtle detail flourishes, it looks stylish, understated and really cool.  If you put this bespoke CLS Shooting Brake next to any other car, you would immediately know that you’re looking at something very special."

There has never been a Mercedes-Benz like the CLS Shooting Brake.  In fact, there has never been a car like it at all.  Shooting Brakes were particularly favoured by British shooting parties in the 1950s and 1960s for their coupé-like two-door styling with added practicality.  Last year, Mercedes-Benz has resurrected the concept and brought it into the 21st century with a model based on the rakish four-door styling of the CLS Coupé, but with added space and versatility.

The CLS Shooting Brake is clearly the production version of the Concept Shooting Brake revealed by Mercedes-Benz at the Auto China Beijing Motorshow in 2010.  A low, wide silhouette, long bonnet, arched roof which flows all the way to the rear and frameless side doors are common characteristics.  The production car has proved to be an enormous success, and was the naturally stylish choice for the collaboration announced today.