Mercedes-Benz Messwagen: A one of a kind creation

In 1960, Mercedes-Benz designed and built a one-of-a-kind mobile test lab called Messwagen, a German term that loosely translates to “measuring car.”

The Messwagen was a 300 that was made into a station wagon in order to carry the heavy equipment that recorded information such as how much horsepower an engine was generating, how much fuel it was using, and how hot it was getting. Basically the Messwagen was a mobile DYNO. The rear bench was tossed out in order to make room for the equipment, but Mercedes installed a pair of wicker chairs so that engineers could monitor the testing process in real time.

The process began by hooking up sensors to the car being tested. Wires taped together ran out of the test car through a window and were secured to a purpose-designed roof rack, and they ran into the Messwagen through a hood scoop located right above the front seats.

The Messwagen was powered by a 3.0-liter straight-six engine tuned to generate about 160 horsepower at 5,300 rpm. The car being “tested” in the pictures below is an automatic 220S, which uses a 2.2-liter straight-six that makes 110 horsepower at 5,000 rpm. Both cars have a top speed of 103 mph (165 km/h).

Jeep: More patriotic than Baseball.

With the current state of affairs in our country following the inauguration of President Donald Trump, I found myself thinking about America and what it means to be an American. Which of course got me thinking about the Fourth of July because there is nothing more American than Baseball and the Fourth of July right? Wrong.

1963 Jeep Wagoneer

In 2013 a New York based firm, Brand Keys, conducted a survey of 4,500 consumers on what brands were the most American to them. Each item was scored on a scale of 0 to 100 representing the emotional engagement to each brand. Surprising, or maybe not, depending on how you look at it, Jeep took the number one spot with a score of 98%. Jeep beat out such brands as Coca-Cola (#3 with 97%), Levi Strauss and Disney (tied with 95%), and even Harley Davidson who was surprisingly low on the list at number 13 with 89%.

As a matter of fact Jeep was one of only two auto manufacturers on the list, Ford being the other at 16th. Chevrolet didn't even make it on the list despite their heavy patriotic marketing that they have done in the past. Other surprisingly low brands on the list were Budweiser at 14 with 88%, Smith & Wesson at 18 with 85%, and John Deere at 20 with 82%.

1940 Willys Quad

Whether you are a long time owner of that beat up old XJ or a brand new owner who just purchased your first KL one thing is certain, you love your Jeep. You know that no matter what your conditions are, your Jeep will get you to wherever it is you are going. It is dependable, tough, and capable. Even if you are in the traditionalist camp and feel that FCA has tarnished the brand with the new Cherokee (KL) and the Renegade (BU), you cannot deny that underneath it all it is still at least a cousin to the Jeeps of old. It may only be a distant relative, twice removed on your mother's side of the family, but they still get invited to the family reunion each year. No matter how much animosity you hold towards those cousins, you still end up having a good time. That to me is what it means to drive a Jeep. You are part of a family. Part of something bigger than just yourself. It doesn't matter if you are born and raised in America like the CJ's and XJ's, or an immigrant finding a home here like the KL's and BU's. You have a home here in America, and underneath it all beats the heart of an American.

That is what it means to be a Jeep owner, and that is what it means to be an American.

Here is the top ten from the list:

1. Jeep - 98%
2. Hershey's - 97%
3. Coca-Cola - 97%
4. Levi Strauss - 95%
5. Walt Disney - 95%
6. Colgate - 94% (really?)
7. Zippo - 93%
8. Wrigley's - 92%
9. Ralph Lauren - 91%
10. John Deere - 91%

So there you have it. Jeep is more patriotic than Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and everything else from 'Murica.

Wouldn't it be awesome if your ATV could take to the skies as well?

Well look no further because now it can.

The SkyRunner MK 3.2 will do just that. Using a Rotax engine, lightweight construction, and a ram-air parafoil wing the MK 3.2 will reach speeds up to 70 MPH on the ground and 55 MPH in the air. It's top cruising altitude is 10,000 feet so you can definitely get some sightseeing done in one of these.

While it isn't a switch on the fly changeover, converting from ground running to flight takes only a few minutes. Due to it's lightweight design the MK 3.2 has much smaller take-off and landing needs when compared to other air craft in the "sport" category. The MK 3.2 will set you back $119,000 but requires a sport pilot license to operate in the skies, so you may want to get that taken care of before writing that check.

Love it or hate it, no one can deny that the MK 3.2 looks like it would be a lot of fun. I could definitely see myself in one of these. Check out the video below of the MK 3.2 in flight.