在1995年的日內瓦車展上，梅賽德斯-奔馳展示了一款革命性的新型研究車，其基本概念仍然與傳統(tǒng)的乘用車有相當明顯的區(qū)別。這款雙門緊湊型Vario汽車是一個全能型的汽車，其外觀只需幾步就可以完全改變。車身部分由車頂、側壁和車尾組成，可以與其他車身變型進行互換。例如，Estate可以變成敞篷車，轎車可以變成皮卡，以滿足車主的個人喜好或手頭的運輸任務。

簡而言之，Vario Research Car成功地將四種不同的車輛概念結合到一輛車中，為駕駛者提供了一種全新的方式，讓他們可以根據(jù)自己的需求對車輛進行改造。

為了打造他們的 "四合一 "汽車，斯圖加特的工程團隊將車身分為基本車輛和可拆卸的頂部部分。在基本車的內部，可以找到所有的技術系統(tǒng)，以及前擋風玻璃、車門、儀表盤和座椅。換句話說，這是一個獨立的單元，其設計保持不變，包含了所有的車輛工程。憑借其巧妙的造型，基本的車身部分似乎和諧地流向任何一個頂部部分，巧妙地隱藏了車身部分之間的接口。連接處實際上位于腰線下方，沿側面、側窗和擋風玻璃框架的上緣以及車尾。

這輛研究車在幾分鐘內就完成了變形，這個過程涉及的技術問題很少。電磁鐵和特殊的鎖定系統(tǒng)將車身牢牢地固定在基本車身上。車尾的中央連接器將車身與車輛的電源連接起來。電子系統(tǒng)自動檢測到安裝的是哪種車型，并相應地啟用所需的連接。

At the Geneva Motor Show in 1995, Mercedes-Benz revealed a revolutionary new research vehicle whose basic concept continues to set it apart quite clearly from conventional passenger cars. The two-door compact Vario car was a master of all trades, whose appearance could be given a full makeover in just a few quick steps. The body section, which comprised the roof, sidewall and the rear end, could be interchanged with any of the other body variants. For example, the Estate could be turned into a cabriolet or the saloon transformed into a pick-up to suit either the owner’s personal preferences or the transportation task at hand.

In short, the Vario Research Car succeeded in combining four different vehicle concepts into a single car, presenting motorists with a new way of remodelling their vehicle as they wished to suit their own requirements.

To create their "four-in-one" car, the engineering team in Stuttgart separated the body into a basic vehicle and a removable top section. Inside the basic vehicle could be found all of the technical systems, as well as the front windscreen, the doors, the dashboard and the seats. In other words, an independent unit whose design remained unchanged and which contained all of the vehicle engineering. By virtue of its ingenious styling, the basic body section seemed to flow harmoniously into whichever top section was being used, cleverly concealing the interfaces between the body sections. The joins were actually positioned beneath the waistline along the sides, along the side windows and the top edge of the windscreen frame, as well as at the rear.

The research car metamorphosed within a matter of minutes, a procedure involving a minimum of technical fuss. Electromagnets and special locking systems kept the body securely fastened to the basic body. A central connector at the rear linked the body up to the vehicle’s power supply. The electronics automatically detected which variant had been fitted, and enabled the required connections accordingly.