autoevolution
 

Russians Play with SUV Side Windows That Work like Mercedes Magic Sky Control

This is like a James Bond feature that works in real life. It's like number plates that flip, only a lot more useful. Some Russians installed special glass for the side windows of an SUV that goes from fully transparent to opaque in an instant.
Russians Play with SUV Side Windows that Work Like Mercedes Magic Sky Control 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from Facebook
Clearly, this technology is the same as the famous Mercedes-Benz Magic Sky Control, which you can get on the SL and SLK roadsters. Exotic models also offer it, but Mercedes actually made it famous. We are not aware of it being offered on the side of any SUV, though we have heard rumors that the Dartz Prombron and the US Special Vehicles Rhino GX Sport have it.

As cool as this feature is, we don't understand what it's for. It may have been designed as a privacy application to protect mobsters and oligarchs from the gaze of the peasants while they are eating caviar. The magic glass apparently doesn't work like tint, since when it's activated, you can't see out of the car. That makes driving dangerous, and it's why the police are always after drivers with dark windows.

But can you imagine getting pulled over in this thing? By the time the policeman gets to your car, the windows will look completely normal. What will he do then? Mercedes uses Magic Sky Control on the roof of its two roadster models, allowing the cars to get the same lighting as those with a sunroof without any moving parts. Physics tells us that having black windows will make the car heat up much faster, which is why the best IR protection films are almost transparent.

How does it work? Well, there are particles in the glass that align vertically when an electric current is run through them. When the power supply is cut off, the particles go back to their original random setup and block out a large portion of the light. Mercedes asks $2,500 for the roof of its clever roadsters so we could be looking at an SUV with $10,000 windows.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories