autoevolution
 

Mercedes-Benz Created a Car-to-Car Local Area Network in 1960, Here Is Why

Nowadays, it is easy to get all sorts of data from a moving car, with the help of a laptop, a few cables, and an array of sensors spread around in the car's essentials points. But that was not an option in 1960, when Mercedes-Benz needed to do the same thing. It still found a way.
Mercedes-Benz 1960 Rolling Lab 15 photos
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz 300 measuring car from 1960Mercedes-Benz 300 measuring car from 1960Mercedes-Benz 300 measuring car from 1960Mercedes-Benz 300 measuring car from 1960Mercedes-Benz 300 measuring car from 1960Mercedes-Benz 300 measuring car from 1960Mercedes-Benz 300 measuring car from 1960Mercedes-Benz 300 measuring car from 1960Mercedes-Benz 300 measuring car from 1960Mercedes-Benz 300 measuring car from 1960Mercedes-Benz 300 measuring car from 1960Mercedes-Benz 300 measuring car from 1960Mercedes-Benz 300 measuring car from 1960Mercedes-Benz 300 "Adenauer"
While the story of this rolling lab starts in 1960, the vehicle itself has an older story behind it, dating back to the late '30s. It was then when Mercedes-Benz introduced the 260d, followed by the 260 in 1940.

After the war, the German industry was left bombed, cut into pieces, and taken away by the Red Army or ruled by British and Allied forces. As it rebounded, Mercedes-Benz didn't need to make front-door vehicles, like BMW, or cheap cars, like Volkswagen. Instead, it started working on high-end vehicles, even though it didn't have a big market for them.

In 1951, at the first Frankfurt Motor Show after the war, Mercedes-Benz introduced the 300 series. It was not entirely new, since it was based on some underpinnings developed for the 260. But since those were well-designed and engineered, nobody noticed or cared. That 300 marked the return of the carmaker on top of its class.

German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer loved the 300. He never admitted to being chauffeured in anything else, even after his retirement. Because of that, the 300 was nicknamed "Adenauer" (the former Chancellor's last vehicle was returned to Mercedes-Benz, who put it its museum, where it still exists today).

Mercedes\-Benz 300 "Adenauer"
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
We can understand why he was very fond of the 300, especially after the 1957 model when the 3.0-liter inline-six received a fuel-injected system that replaced the old carburetor system. Thus, the powerplant developed 160 PS (158 hp). Starting with that year, Mercedes-Benz offered the 300 with an automatic transmission developed by Borg-Warner, and named Detroit-Gear. It featured just two planetary gears, and it was smooth. Think about a PowerGlide made for comfort. In addition, a manual gearbox was offered as an option.

Starting with 1957, the 300 model was available with a 3,150 mm (124 in) wheelbase as standard, with an option for an extended 3,600 mm (141.7 in) wheelbase. In 1960, Mercedes-Benz built four special vehicles based on the 300. While three of them were based on the elongated version, the fourth is the rolling-lab vehicle. The longer ones were built for Pope John XXIII, while the other two were rented for special occasions to the Government or other wealthy persons. But it was the fourth special project that made the biggest difference from them.

While those three, sure, brought a big image upgrade for the German brand, the fourth was in charge of reading and recording data from prototypes. In those times, engineers couldn't read data from hardware installed in a vehicle. Even if they could, the readings wouldn't be accurate, since the test car had to be loaded with heavy equipment. So then, they came up with the idea of a rolling lab: the one that you see here.

From the front, up to the B-pillars, it was the same Mercedes-Benz 300 Adenauer, but then everything changed. The engineers installed a station-wagon like rear end, with panoramic windows curved on the upper side and emerging onto the roof. Above the driver's area, they installed a wide roof scoop. It was not intended to get more fresh air inside the cabin, but to allow a cable to go out. Thus, they could extend it to the test car, which had the sensors installed, and record all the data they needed while driving. It was truly a car-to-car wired connection. You may even call it a mobile Local Area Network.

Mercedes\-Benz 300 measuring car from 1960
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
To safely record all data from the test vehicles, an up to 30 meters (98.5 ft) cable stretched between the cars gathered all the information and sent it to the recording devices placed in the measuring car. These were recorded on magnetic tapes to be listened to and analyzed back in the R&D center. It was like a recording studio on wheels, albeit we're not told if they used Fidelipacs or other magnetic tapes. If you don't know what's a Fidelipac, think about the father of an 8-track, but with higher quality.

Two engineers stood cramped in their seats with woven rattan seatbacks at the back of the car, behind the big windows that turned it into a true sauna inside during sunny days, despite the side vents. I bet you could sit way comfier on your fishing seat, even if it's a rock on the ground. But they suffered for science.

There were bulky types of equipment everywhere, and even a power generator. A set of gauges and dials were mounted on the side, atop the inner wheel well. But that was the only way they could record the data. Thus, while a prototype had to run on the bad-pavement section of the Untertürkheim test-track, also known as "the boneshaker," the rolling-lab could go in parallel, on the better pavement section, and still record accurate data.

You might wonder how many readings could this system gather? The answer is 14. Truth be told, nowadays, you can get much more with your smartphone, but that wasn't possible back then.

Mercedes\-Benz 300 measuring car from 1960
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Under the hood of this rolling lab stood the same powerplant as the one installed in the regular Adenauer. Still, despite offering the same power, the car could go as fast as 120 kph (74.6 kph), while its production sibling could do 160 kph (99.4 mph). That's how much weight had to be added to the vehicle. Fortunately for Mercedes, they didn't have to measure any Corvette at maximum speed, or that 30 meters cable would have been way too short.

Mercedes-Benz used this special vehicle until the 1970s, when it was retired. It won a place in the carmaker's museum, where it stays behind a W112, and it still connected through its cable. Nowadays, it doesn't record any data - it only collects smiles from Mercedes-Benz's museum visitors.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
press release
About the author: Tudor Serban
Tudor Serban profile photo

Tudor started his automotive career in 1996, writing for a magazine while working on his journalism degree. From Pikes Peaks to the Moroccan desert to the Laguna Seca, he's seen and done it all.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories