Mercedes-Benz F200

1996 Mercedes-Benz F 200 Imagination The headline idea flopped, and the rest arrived almost at once. The F 200 had no steering wheel or pedals, only drive-by-wire sidesticks, and that never went on sale. What did go on sale is a useful checklist: the window airbag it introduced reached the E-Class in 1998, Active Body Control suspension made production in the CL coupe in 1999, and its voice control was Linguatronic, which Mercedes was putting into the S-Class at the same time. Its electrically dimming glass roof later appeared on the Maybach 62. Choose this car for the contrast it offers: a show car can miss on its loudest promise and still be one of the most productive concepts of its decade.