Automakers pour thousands of dollars and man hours into creating concepts to gradually introduce us to the design themes and technology that will be coming to production cars a few years down the line. But have you ever wondered what happens to all of those exhibits once their moment in the spotlight is over? Thanks to photos taken in at Atlanta junkyard, we now know.
Let’s be clear, many of the coolest concept cars from the past 60-70 years have been preserved. But not all of them make it. Remember the two Nissan concepts that were found in a Tennessee junkyard? And some exhibits a little less important than a full-blown show car probably don’t warrant storing for a quarter of a century just so they can be wheeled out as part of some retrospective at the 2045 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Related: Nissan Sadly Sent These Two Old Concept Cars To The Junkyard To Be Crushed And Destroyed
Image credit: Reddit / u/Alodarsc2
Which is presumably how this cool-looking Mercedes egg ended up at a recycling center in Georgia. It’s been spotted at the same site by a couple of different people this year who’ve posted their finds to Reddit. As noted by Tire Meets Road, the other sleuths on the forum worked out that it was called the MBUX seat exhibit, and was unveiled in 2020 to preview the interior layout and infotainment system in the new S-Class and EQS that would debut soon after.
There’s even a period video on YouTube of the pod’s construction that shows a busy team fitting its glass doors and S-Class seats, and sanding various things without wearing any kind of masks. Nice. We’re not sure when the exhibit was transferred to the junk yard, but we do know that it’s been stood outside for a while, yet still appears to be in good shape.
It’d make a great feature in a collector’s garage, or could even be turned into a cool simulator with a bit of effort. But according to one of the original posters on Reddit who came across the pod in the yard, and obviously had similar thoughts, it’s not for sale.
