We've seen some weird, wild, and wonderful art cars over the years, but we've never seen a Mercedes G-Class like this before. Created in collaboration between Mercedes-Benz Chief Design Officer Gorden Wagener and Louis Vuitton Men's Artistic Director Virgil Abloh, this unusual art car reimagines the Mercedes-Benz G-Class as a race car.

The off-roader's luxuries have been stripped away to make the exterior as clean as possible while retaining the G-Class's instantly recognizable boxy shape. Mercedes believes the result is "something raw, natural, and altogether more honest." The paintwork was partially sanded by hand and the indicators, mirrors and the bumper bar have been removed.

To give the G-Class a sportier appearance, the body has also been widened and lowered and exaggerated racing tires have been fitted.

Inside, the racing influence continues as the interior has been stripped out and a roll cage and five-point safety belts finished in blue and white have been fitted. The dashboard was removed and replaced with a simplified version with analog gauges in contrast to the Formula 1-style steering wheel and racing seats.

"My ultimate goal in this project with Mercedes-Benz is inspiring young artists, engineers, designers to question the status quo, in addition to experimenting with my own design abilities," said Abloh.

"For me it's all about providing opportunities for those coming after me and giving this next generation a foundation for success, both here with Mercedes-Benz and through my own Virgil Abloh "Post-Modern" Scholarship Fund."

"With Project Gelandewagen we create a unique artwork that showcases future interpretations of luxury and the desire for beauty and the extraordinary. The result is something between reality and future", Wagener added. "The collaboration with Virgil has seen two distinct design philosophies unite, for a one-of-a-kind re-imagination of the G that continues to celebrate the extraordinary at its core."

While this radical G-Class racer won't be entering production, a 1:3 scale replica model of the design will be sold at the Sotheby's Contemporary Curated charity auction on October 2, where it's expected to sell for between $60,000 and $80,000.