Photo: Carlex Design
Carlex Design has made customizing European pickup trucks into an artform, and the Mercedes X-Class appears to be their favorite. This is the first and only truck from a German premium brand, but we never thought we'd ever see one covered in so much carbon fiber.
Carlex partners with a company called Pickup Design on these builds, and they have a multitude of kits, not only for the X-Class but also for things like the Ford Ranger. Even before this carbon build, they went up to $20,000 in added costs.
The project itself is dubbed the X-Class Racing Green and we're not 100% sure what to make of it. Carbon fiber technology has gotten a lot cheaper over the years, but we still can't picture a pickup bumper that's fabricated the same way as a Koenigsegg. There are parts that could easily be made out of carbon, such as the aero element over the hood or the trim around the fog lights. We've seen those on previous Carlex projects too. Carbon mirror caps? That's common as well.
However, we're looking at the fends, hood, and front bumper with suspicious eyes. The same green color also covers the whole X-Class from head to toe, even though the finish on the doors appears to be brushed aluminum. It's possible that this is a printed 3D wrap with a nice transition or a two-stage wrap where the top color is separate.
We're not saying the truck looks bad, just a little fake. But we are dealing with double carbon fiber tips on a workhorse powered by a diesel V6. So what did you expect?
Carlex's specialty is actually interiors, and it's there that this project shines brightest. Even though the X-Class wasn't a true Mercedes in the cabin department, they've made it look the part with carbon trim on the dash and doors, a sports steering wheel, and three-tone leather.
The project itself is dubbed the X-Class Racing Green and we're not 100% sure what to make of it. Carbon fiber technology has gotten a lot cheaper over the years, but we still can't picture a pickup bumper that's fabricated the same way as a Koenigsegg. There are parts that could easily be made out of carbon, such as the aero element over the hood or the trim around the fog lights. We've seen those on previous Carlex projects too. Carbon mirror caps? That's common as well.
However, we're looking at the fends, hood, and front bumper with suspicious eyes. The same green color also covers the whole X-Class from head to toe, even though the finish on the doors appears to be brushed aluminum. It's possible that this is a printed 3D wrap with a nice transition or a two-stage wrap where the top color is separate.
We're not saying the truck looks bad, just a little fake. But we are dealing with double carbon fiber tips on a workhorse powered by a diesel V6. So what did you expect?
Carlex's specialty is actually interiors, and it's there that this project shines brightest. Even though the X-Class wasn't a true Mercedes in the cabin department, they've made it look the part with carbon trim on the dash and doors, a sports steering wheel, and three-tone leather.
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