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Messwagen : Meet The 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300 Measuring Car That Is Connected To Test Vehicles
Meet Mercedes-Benz 300 Measuring Car (or Messwagen) that was connected to test vehicles.
Messwagen, built for the Mercedes Testing Department, was equipped with numerous measuring instruments.
The Measuring Car (or Messwagen) was connected to the test vehicle through a cable up to 30 metres long.
The cable transmits datas from the test vehicles to the sensitive measuring devices at the rear of the Messwagen.
Back in 1960, Mercedes converted the company’s flagship Mercedes-Benz 300d (Adenauer) into a one-off rolling measurement laboratory that was used to record datas delivered by test vehicles during their test runs.
This Mercedes-Benz Measuring Car (or Messwagen), built for the Testing department, is equipped with numerous measuring instruments as well as two individual seats. The measuring car receives datas through a 30-metres long cable that connects it with the sensors of the test vehicle.
Unlike the 300 it was based on, the measuring car features a station-wagon like rear end, with panoramic windows curved on the upper side.
Still powering this rolling lab is the same 160-horsepower 3.0-liter, straight-six engine inside the hood of the regular Adenauer. But due to the weight of the measuring instruments at the rear, the Messwagen could only achieve a top-speed of 120 kph (74.6 kph), while its production sibling could do 160 kph (99.4 mph).
The Measuring Car (or Messwagen) served Mercedes-Benz until the early 70s before being retired. Today, the unique 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300 – still connected to a Mercedes-Benz 220S (W-111) – can be found in the Legend Room 5 of the Mercedes-Benz Museum.
