Renderings done by students are sometimes the most exciting new ideas out there. Phil Berger is one such visionary first-year mechanical engineering student.

He is an active participant in the Local Motors Forge project, which is a co-creation community and a bit of a gathering place for dreamers.

Mechanical dreamers! The tricky part of student, or any renderings, for that matter: brand names and logos. All this company IP is fiercely protected, especially in a bold new age of shameless counterfeiting.

But there are other concerns besides factories running mystery “ghost shifts,” or the adage of a complete twin factory being made 40 miles from one international shoe-maker’s billion-dollar investment.

It is more about protecting the quality and integrity of the brand, and avoiding any consumer confusion whatsoever. No brand wants shoppers to associate their brand with some rogue designer’s vision.

But students are one special exception, especially in the design field – where many internships earned while still in college will be very, very important in marketing oneself after graduation.

So with the greatest respect for Mercedes-Benz, and all car brands for that matter, we’re thrilled to share some exciting new ideas.

This is Philip Berger’s vision of a modern-day W154 Silver Arrow racer, seen below on the left being driven this year by Lewis Hamilton.

The most interesting aspect for me is the open-wheel layout, combined with a closed cockpit.

This is not a setup currently allowed in any racing series, but the rumor is that Formula One may go hard-top in the next five years or so.

Phil Berger’s W154 Silver Arrow Speculative Design Rendering

Also included below is the official 2011 Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows concept from the 2011 LA show.

Renderings by Phil Berger, with more info on his work available here.

http://bergerdesign.weebly.com/