Automotive

Published on March 24th, 2023 | by Subhash Nair

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Mercedes-Benz ESF 22 Shows 50 Years Of Experimental Safety

Mercedes-Benz ESF 22 shows how far the company was pushing safety standards back then.

We all know that Mercedes-Benz have been pioneers in the field of automotive safety for decades. However, many of us are still in the dark as to the details of their work. 50 years ago, Mercedes-Benz created the Experimental Safety Vehicle ESF 22 to pioneer developments in the field, some of which are still in use on cars today, albeit in more modernised iterations.

Mercedes-Benz Museum. Raum Mythos 5: Vordenker – Sicherheit und Umwelt. Mercedes-Benz Experimentier-Sicherheits-Fahrzeug ESF 22 aus dem Jahr 1973. Exterieuraufnahme von vorn.Mercedes-Benz Museum. Legend Room 5: Visionaries – Safety and the Environment. The Mercedes-Benz Experimental Safety Vehicle ESF 22 from 1973. Front view of the exterior.

The ESF 22 was created in 1973 and is turning 50 years old today. It is on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Here are some details that may intrigue you, should you decide a trip there may not be worth the cost.

mercedes-benz ESF 22 poster

Although the ESF 22 looks a lot like the W116 S-Class of that era, there are many differences. The front end alone is made out of lots of plastic, as Mercedes-Benz was experimenting with improving pedestrian protection and decided to ditch the typical chrome radiator grille.

They instead used the front section from the SL and wrapped it in impact-absorbing plastic. The headlamps are also surrounded by the same material and the bumpers were also redesigned to absorb energy. Powering the ESF 22 was a 4.5L V8 with an output of almost 200PS at 4,500rpm. Only one of these vehicles were made.

Mercedes-Benz Museum. Raum Mythos 5: Vordenker – Sicherheit und Umwelt. Mercedes-Benz Experimentier-Sicherheits-Fahrzeug ESF 22 aus dem Jahr 1973. Interieuraufnahme mit Detail Sicherheitsgurt.Mercedes-Benz Museum. Legend Room 5: Visionaries – Safety and the Environment. The Mercedes-Benz Experimental Safety Vehicle ESF 22 from 1973. Interior view with close-up of the seat belt.

The ESF 22 also featured airbags and belt tensioners. Altogether, the technologies in the ESV 22 gave occupants a good chance of survival in a head-on collision with a rigid barrier at up to 64km/h.

Sicherheit im Vordergrund: Mercedes-Benz zeigt auf dem Genfer Auto-Salon 1974 ein Crashfahrzeug mit intakter Fahrgastzelle und das Experimentier-Sicherheits-Fahrzeug ESF 22. (Fotosignatur der Mercedes-Benz Classic Archive: 74091_37)Focus on safety: Mercedes-Benz displayed a crash vehicle with intact passenger compartment alongside the Experimental Safety Vehicle ESF 22 at the 1974 Geneva Motor Show. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: 74091_37)

That being said, many of the safety developments presented in the ESF 22 ended up going into the W116 S-Class and models that came later. Many developments were discarded – that was just the nature of such experimental projects. The general goal of Mercedes-Benz safety development, as they put it, is to offer customers specific benefits with as many of these technologies as possible.

Mercedes-Benz Museum. Raum Mythos 5: Vordenker – Sicherheit und Umwelt. Mercedes-Benz Experimentier-Sicherheits-Fahrzeug ESF 22 aus dem Jahr 1973. Interieuraufnahme.Mercedes-Benz Museum. Legend Room 5: Visionaries – Safety and the Environment. The Mercedes-Benz Experimental Safety Vehicle ESF 22 from 1973. Interior view.

The early 1970s were when road accidents in western countries were at an all-time high and a series of ESFs were used to develop possible solutions.

BHP

ESF 22 was the third to be publicly presented. While the ESF 05 and 13 that came before it pioneered smooth interior areas, ABS, headlamp wipers and bodyshell measures, the ESF 22 refined those safety measures and added more of its own.

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