Vario Research Car (1995)
Built on a modified W202 floorpan and drivetrain, the Vario Research Car let four body styles, saloon, estate, convertible and pick-up, be swapped onto a single chassis. Using the C-Class M111 2.0-litre engine, it explored modular vehicle platforms and previewed the multi-role thinking that later shaped the A-Class and Vaneo.
The C52 AMG prototype
In the mid-1990s AMG installed the M119 5.0-litre V8 from the E500 into a W202 shell, creating the C52 prototype. It was tested hard at the Nurburgring and on the road, but concerns over cooling, drivetrain longevity and cost shelved it. The C52 proved a V8 C-Class was feasible and directly inspired the C43 AMG, which used the smaller, more modern M113 4.3-litre instead.
Test mules
Early mules from 1989 were disguised with W201 body panels. The finalised prototypes, the Erprobungstrager test carriers, covered more than 10 million kilometres across four continents, and a small batch of pre-production cars was built in 1992 to validate the Bremen plant where most W202s were assembled.