MERCEDES-AMG X MSCHF’S “NOT FOR AUTOMOTIVE USE” TURNS LUXURY CAR PARTS INTO RADICAL ART & FURNITURE

Mercedes-AMG has teamed up with the provocateur art collective MSCHF for one of the boldest collaborations of 2025–Not for Automotive Use, an exhibition that reimagines high-performance car components as conceptual furniture and domestic objects. Debuting at MSCHF’s Brooklyn studio as part of NYCxDesign 2025, the limited-run collection marries the precision engineering of Mercedes-AMG with MSCHF’s disruptive, tongue-in-cheek design philosophy. This isn’t about tuning engines or boosting horsepower; it’s about transforming the soul of performance into aesthetic genius.

In the spirit of Italy’s Radical Design movement of the 1960s, pieces in the collection include a seatbelt-activated floor lamp, chairs fashioned from AMG headrests, trash cans operated by gas
pedals, and a recliner constructed from carbon fiber chassis elements. Every item juxtaposes the brute power of AMG’s automotive DNA with MSCHF’s flair for satirical commentary. Even
airbag modules are given new life as inflated light fixtures, while spoilers support desks like sculptural wings of productivity. There’s a palpable sense of irony and admiration woven into each piece, questioning the cult of speed and the pedestal on which we place high-end brands.

This collaboration goes beyond art–it’s cultural critique. MSCHF is known for subverting capitalist spectacle and deconstructing the fetishization of products, and this project is no exception. By repurposing performance car parts into absurdist homeware, the collective simultaneously mocks and honors the design language of Mercedes-AMG. The title Not for Automotive Use itself is a wink to the disclaimer-laden world of luxury manufacturing, daring audiences to reconsider the function and meaning of iconic materials outside their intended context.

Accompanying the furniture drop is a limited-edition apparel capsule featuring engine-inspired prints on work jackets and caps. There’s even a custom apple tree-shaped fragrance that pays homage to Affalterbach, Germany–the birthplace of AMG. The Brooklyn exhibition marks the first time MSCHF has opened its studio doors to the public, turning the showroom into a live dialogue between automotive legacy and modern irreverence. It’s a gear-shift in how we perceive luxury, design, and the intersections of brand, function, and art.

In a time where collaborations often feel like gimmicks, Mercedes-AMG and MSCHF deliver a collection that’s not only visually arresting but conceptually profound. For fans of design, automotive engineering, or cultural subversion, Not for Automotive Use isn’t just worth seeing, it’s worth decoding.