Next month’s Paris Motor Show will witness the unveiling of this glamorous new Mercedes ‘shooting brake’ concept.
Dubbed the ‘ConceptFASCINATION’ the new show car is a stylish amalgamation of the the front end of the CLK replacement, and a coupe-like estate rear end which Mercedes says epitomises the classic two-door shooting brake genre.
The ConceptFASCINATION itself is unlikely to make it into production, but you can expect to see most of its styling themes on the next generation E-class saloon due for launch next year – and subsequently a new E-class badged coupe, which insiders say is likely to replace the CLK in 2010 in an effort to make the Merc model range more straightforward.
There’s clearly a lot of the latest S-class design apparent in the ConceptFASCINATION, including the pronounced wheel arches and swoopy waistline. The concept also marks a shift away from the roundheadlamps that have marked out the E-class for a couple of generations.
The show car’s interior is inspired by the world of equestrianism, says Mercedes, so there’s plenty of saddle-leather on which to park your jodhpurs.
Under its swoopy hood the ConceptFASCINATION also features a 204bhp version of Merc’s new 2.2 litre four cylinder diesel range which will power production E-class models next year.