Some people report seeing color upon a hearing a certain sound, but here we have the inverse. Because it’s impossible to look at the images above and not immediately start hearing an unmistakable, scratchy ’60s-era soundtrack.
The Mercedes-Benz Museum regularly shines a spotlight on its heritage, and this one-off wagon built in 1960 is a remarkable car, not least because it looks like an extra from a ’60s spy show. In essence, it’s an early telemetry car built to record data from a development Benz.
The idea is that the car in front would be put through its paces, while this 300 would chase from a short distance behind, collecting reams of data. It’s based on the ‘W189’ series 300 sedan because of the need “for a fast and large vehicle,” according to the carmaker. The first German chancellor Konrad Adenauer was a fan of the 300, and thus it was nicknamed after him.
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Only half of this 300 is a proper Adenauer, though, because from the B-pillars back, it’s been converted into an wagon featuring panoramic windows, new rear lights, and exhaust tips integrated into the bumper. Looks as good as a production Benz, such was the quality.
Inside...not so much. There you’ll find a pair of narrow individual seats with wicker backrests like garden chairs. And then a mass of electronic boxes. “The measuring instruments in the ’50s were large, heavy, and sensitive,” says Merc. When fitted to a prototype Benz, they’d shake and influence the data collection, which is kinda why this 300 even exists.
You see that cable? That’s a 30-meter-long wire that goes from the prototype driving up front to the 300 measuring car that’d follow behind, collecting all the data. Because it was basically a chase car, the 300 was given a 156hp engine from the later W189—a 3.0-liter straight-six that could trace some familiarity to the groundbreaking 300SL Gullwing.
Now that’s a color we wouldn’t mind seeing.
More photos of the W129 telemetry car at the Mercedes-Benz Museum:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
