This Mercedes-Benz Adenauer One-Off Is A Rolling Laboratory

This is how Mercedes-Benz gathered testing data more than 50 years ago.

Automakers can now run tests on their vehicles using technology that was available before they put the test mule on the road. Manufacturers used a different method to collect data and test vehicles long before computers were invented. The Mercedes-Benz team came up with an ingenious solution that involved a 300-piece ‘Adenauer.

The Measuring Car, or Messwagen, was a modified W189 that was transformed into a wagon-style two-door. Why use a flagship sedan to collect data, and not a smaller model? Mercedes-Benz claims it required a large and fast vehicle to transport the heavy measuring equipment and follow the test car.

In 1960, the Messwagen was in service. It’s a workhorse, but it looks great with its extended rear end, panoramic windows and tailfins. You will find the measuring equipment and an onboard generator at the rear of the vehicle. Those windows must have made it extra warm for the engineer who collects data from the rear.

This unique car has a straight-six 3.0-liter engine with 160 horsepower (118 kilowatts). Although it may not sound like much, it was one of the most powerful engines Mercedes-Benz made at that time. With all of the equipment, it reached speeds of 75 mph (120 km/h).

How did the mobile laboratory assist engineers? A cable measuring up to 30 m was used to connect the Messwagen to another vehicle. The Messwagen received data from the line. After the road test, the magnetic tape contains the sensor data.

Mercedes-Benz used the Messwagen until the 1970s. The car was retired due to technological advances. It is much easier to collect and measure such items these days thanks to computer simulations and wireless connections. It’s still great to see cars like this in the spotlight, rather than being abandoned or neglected in a scrapyard.