Concept Car of the Week: Mercedes-Benz VRC (1995)

The question of automobile versatility has been a real challenge for decades. Nowadays, car manufacturers keep coming up with hundreds of new segments, sub-segments, crossovers, and crossovers of crossovers... Most of them end up Jack-of-all-trades, master of none. On the other hand, people can't afford to own a fleet of cars to fulfill their every need, let alone the problem of storing them.

So, back in 1995, Mercedes proposed a 4-in-1 solution in the shape of the Vario Research Concept. Whatever your throw at it, the VRC offers a configuration that will meet your demands, except perhaps if you demand a pretty car.

Based on a 2-door platform with four seats, it can be a coupé, a wagon, a pick-up or a convertible thanks to interchangeable modules. The customer would not actually do it himself. They would not even own the modules. Instead they would drive to a rental station where technicians would do the transformation for them in just 15 minutes. The modules are lowered onto the chassis, electric motors pull it into its final position and special locks and strong solenoids keep it in place at eight attachment points. A central connector assures the electrical communication between the platform and the module.

Thanks to ample use of CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic), the modules are very strong and incredibly light, weighting between 30 and 50 kg. The integration to the body is seamless with the split lines cleverly hidden under the side feature. It might not be the most exciting styling but despite its compact proportions, every configuration is credible on its own.

Inside, Mercedes used this opportunity to showcase its latest innovations: digital display, remote controlled screen, trip computer, GPS, distance radars, all of which are now becoming standard on production cars. The VRC also was also an experiment regarding drive-by-wire technology with both the steering and braking being controlled electrically.

Finally, these cutting edge electronics are wrapped up in a tasty combination of Indigo, aqua and pale green while the seats are trimmed in a baby blue tartan. Surely that's too much, even for the '90s.

First seen Geneva motor show 1995
Built by Coggiola
Type Sedan/pickup/wagon/cabriolet

Your author, Flavien Dachet, is a UK-based, French-born car designer. You may know him as the purveyor of KarzNshit, a photo blog that if isn't already in your bookmarks, certainly should be.

By Flavien Dachet