Eye-popping cars of the Justice League

You can’t save the world alone, goes the tagline of the new DC Comics superhero movie Justice League, set to be one of the biggest films of 2017. You can add: you can’t save the world without a good set of wheels.

That’s the message behind a clever marketing campaign from Mercedes-Benz, which tied up with Justice League to pair its cars with the onscreen heroes.

Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), aka Wonder Woman, has been seen behind the wheel of a sports car in a previous DC film. (And she was not seen in the cockpit of any invisible jet.)

Now Diana switches to a more practical but no less seductive ride. She drives the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class cabriolet. The car is based on the workhorse of the Mercedes-Benz lineup, but with a twist: it was two doors, and a convertible roof.

This model of cabriolet did not quite exist when the film tieup was announced, and a prototype was produced for the movie. It was actually unwrapped on the set, right before filming started.

Gal Gadot said of her co-star, “The car Diana drives is very elegant, not too flashy.”

Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) drives the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class cabriolet, a car she describes as “very elegant, not too flashy.”

Speaking of The Flash (Ezra Miller), Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) uses an even more exotic vehicle than usual when recruiting the Scarlet Speedster.

While previous movies have seen Bruce behind the wheel of an Aston Martin, various Lamborghinis, and even a modified Lincoln, this is the first time his civilian car has been created from a virtual automobile.

Coming to life on Justice League is the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo.

Mercedes-AMG Vision Gran Turismo jumps from the video game screen to reel life. Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) and Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller) prepare to board this civilian Batmobile. It’s been blown up to 110 percent scale to accommodate the 1.9-meter tall Affleck.

The car was first developed as a virtual model that one could race on the Gran Turismo video game.

In creating a real-life Vision Gran Turismo, the designers had to factor in Ben Affleck’s 1.9-meter height. They thus changed the dimensions of the Vision GT into 110-percent scale, while preserving the concept car’s proportions and low roofline.

The car had to be fitted out with a functioning interior complete with instruments and racing seats. It’s appropriate that the Vision GT features a steering yoke like the classic 1960s Batmobile instead of a typical wheel.

“This is really a dream project for any designer. Because we were responsible for the original concept, that has now been translated into this movie car. The original show car didn’t have an interior, so we had to create the physical interior,” said Christopher Rhoades, senior designer of Mercedes Advanced Design.

The Vision GT is powered by a front mid-engine AMG V8 with 582 ps and 800 Nm. It was the first of the “Vision Gran Turismo” series of vehicles.

The car was designed with technical elements such as the headlamps and grille contrasting with the flowing, sensual body design.

Aside from the hero cars such as the Vision GT and the E-Class cabriolet, Justice League will feature the G-Class 4×42 and several Mercedes vehicles in supporting roles.

Mercedes’ ultimate off-roader, the G-Class 4×4 2, will bring its burly presence to help the Justice League save the world.

To highlight its participation in the film, Mercedes-Benz has produced several ads in print and online video.

It has also created six exclusive digital comics, viewable on the Mercedes-Benz Instagram channel. There’s also a making-of featurette, on Mercedes-Benz’s YouTube channel.

Likewise expected to ratchet up the onscreen action is a new version of the Batmobile, with even more firepower than the one seen in Batman v Superman.

If you think that Batman shouldn’t be using guns, you should close your eyes for this segment of the movie, because if there’s something that the new Batmobile has, it’s lots and lots of guns.

There’s also a new contraption called the Knightcrawler, a tank-like vehicle that we can’t wait to see in the movie.

“As a designer you have to create fantasy, so we often get inspired by the film industry. I am excited that this time, the film industry was inspired by us, and our Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo became the car for a super hero,” said Gordon Wagener, chief design officer at Daimler AG.

“Extreme proportions, sensual contours and intelligently implemented high tech blend to form a breathtaking body and the perfect car for Bruce Wayne,” he added.