The Treasures of the Mercedes Unimog museum

Famous for their incredible offroad capabilities, unwavering versatility and indestructible reputation, the Unimog is one of the most iconic vehicles to ever wear the Mercedes badge, and one with cult status today.

We travelled to Gaggenau, Germany, to visit the official Unimog Museum, which is home to an extraordinary collection of various Unimog models spanning nearly eight decades.

From some of the oldest Unimog examples left in existence to tractors and fire engines, and everything else in between, here are some of the highlights from our trip:

The earliest example of a Unimog that you can expect to find within the walls of the Museum happens to be this machine: the Unimog U6 Prototype. Not only is it the oldest resident of the collection, but it was also the sixth-ever Unimog produced.

The Universal-Motor-Gerät (or, ‘Unimog’ for short) was designed by Albert Friedrich and unveiled in 1946 as a modernised, more civilised alternative to a traditional tractor, but with superior offroad abilities, four-wheel-drive, portal axles and a track width that was precisely wide enough to accommodate two rows of potatoes underneath when driving in fields.

The first production variant of the Unimog, the 70200, was manufactured by the German firm Boehringer in Göppingen. However, as demand increased at the beginning of the 1950s, production was passed over to Daimler-Benz, which began to produce the technically-identical Unimog 2010 at a factory in Gaggenau – the same town where the museum is now located.

Examples of both the Unimog 70200 and 2010 can sometimes be seen equipped with metal cages attached to the wheels (pictured) in order prevent them from sinking in deep mud.

The Unimog 2010 was replaced by the Unimog U401/U402 series; which itself was replaced by the Unimog U411 in 1956. Unveiled by Daimler-Benz at the German Agricultural Society exhibition in Hanover, the U411 saw an increase in power to 30bhp, and received new shock absorbers, as well as a new seat for the driver.

This example is fitted with a front-mounted water pump, as well as a tipper bed.

The U411 Unimog was available with a choice of three wheelbase configurations, and a new, all-steel cab was introduced in 1957, built by Westfalia. This was a popular choice, as it offered significantly more space inside.

Another stand-out feature of the Unimog was the fact that it had an eight-speed gearbox, with six forward gears and two reverse gears. This meant that, unlike conventional agricultural equipment, it also possessed genuine on-road manners, as well as being uncompromised when the going got tough.

With such unstoppable off-road ability, as well as an additional level of practicality, the Unimog was quickly adopted by several of Europe’s armed forces. Compared to the civilian versions on offer at the time, military-prepared Unimogs received specialised, powerful petrol engines.

This example served with the Swiss Army.

Capable of transporting multiple troops over any type of terrain, the Unimog was a natural fit for the type of vehicle requirements demanded by the army.

Several other military-spec Unimogs also reside at the museum, undoubtedly enjoying  far more peaceful lives now than the ones they experienced before.

The U406-series was introduced during the 1960s. This U416a is now relied upon by the museum as a tour bus, and was originally constructed in 1965.

A year later, in 1966, the 100,000th Unimog was built, 20 years after the original prototype was unveiled to the world.

At the time of our visit, this heroic Unimog U5023 held the record for being driven at the highest altitude ever recorded, at 6694 meters (21,962 feet) above sea level while assisting an expedition in Chile.

Since then, the record has instead been claimed by a heavily modified Porsche 911 Carrera, known as Edith, which managed 6724 metres (22,093 feet).

The U411 was the final iteration of Albert Friedrich’s original Unimog design, and over 39,000 examples were constructed between August 1956 and October 1974, when production shifted to the manufacture of the U421.

No less than 12 different models made up the U411 model line. This example was optioned with the shortest wheelbase, and has the ‘Type B’ cab rather than the ‘Type DvF’ alternative, which more closely resembled the Mercedes trucks of the period.

Towards the end of the 1960s, the agricultural market was demanding more high-powered, affordable tractors. At the same time, while the Unimog was originally intended to act as a more civilised alternative to a tractor, its much broader skillset meant that it was being used for a much broader set of applications.

As a result, the decision was made for Mercedes to build a standalone tractor model that was specialised for the role, called the MB-Trac. However, in order to keep the cost of production down, many components were shared with the Unimog U406-series.

The Unimog-based MB-Trac was unveiled in in 1972, and put into production in 1973. Despite being a 50-year-old design, many are still used on farms around the world today.

In 1990, a new flagship version of the MB-Trac was introduced, called the 1800 Intercooler (pictured). It had a 6.0-litre diesel engine, which was good for 180bhp.

The reasons behind the Unimog’s astonishing offroad ability lie here, with a chassis cutaway.

Here, you can see the typically hidden portal axles, differentials and driveshafts, as well as the level of axle articulation that such a setup allows for. In addition to this, the Unimog was also designed to have its two chassis rails attached by torque tubes, which allow them to twist and provide even more wheel travel. This same setup is still utilised on brand new Unimogs today.

Over the past 70 years, the Unimog platform has been put to the test by pretty much every emergency service department, from SWAT units to Mountain Rescue teams. However, the most famous service role for the Unimog has arguably been with the various fire departments around the world which have chosen to add one to their fleet.

For instance, this example of a Unimog U402, which was the long wheelbase-version of  the Unimog U401, was used by the fire department in the Swiss skiing resort of Klosters.

The U402-series of Unimog came equipped with a 2.2-litre diesel engine, which produced 40bhp. Known as the ‘Frog Eye’ due to its unique headlight design, around 6000 units were built across a three-year production run from 1953 to 1956.

While this U402 would have been one of the first Unimogs to be used by a fire department, today they are used all over the world to fulfil such a role – particularly in locations where harsh terrain limits access for conventional fire engines.

The German tuning firm Brabus has been using the Mercedes-Benz range as a base for its own high-performance models for over forty years. During this time, variants of the SL, E-Class, S-Class and G-Wagen have all received the Brabus treatment, amongst others. However, perhaps the craziest Brabus-tuned Mercedes (and certainly the most unexpected) was indeed based upon a Unimog.

To create the Brabus Unimog U500, a standard Unimog received chrome front and rear bumpers, a redesigned flatbed, an integrated rollover bar and a retrimmed, more luxurious interior. The 6.0-litre diesel engine also received a performance boost, to 282bhp and 826lb ft (1120 Nm). Just five examples were built, costing over €260,000 each.

Another very popular application for the Unimog is as a railway shunter. As displayed by this Unimog U1650, railway rollers are attached to the wheels, allowing for it to be driven along railway lines.

Guided by the rollers, a high friction coefficient is created by the rubber tires on the metal tracks, and combined with its four-wheel-drive system, the Unimog can achieve immense traction levels in this configuration. In fact, Mercedes claim that the latest Unimog can tow over 800,000kg, or 52 railway carriage axles, when being used as a shunter…

When we say this is the world’s greatest collection of Unimogs, we aren’t joking...and this even extends to the pram alternatives…

They appear to be based on the Unimog U1300, and even come equipped with snorkels. However, they probably won’t be quite as capable off-road as the real thing…

After becoming such an iconic vehicle, it was only a matter of time before the Unimog also became a Hollywood star. Unimogs have featured in several films, including multiple appearances in the Jurassic Park franchise, and a heavily-modified 1977 U1700 SE was famously owned by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This rather serious-looking example starred in the 2018 movie Transformers: The Last Knight, and was the vehicle of choice for Autobot Commando ‘Hound’ to transform into. He certainly didn’t have to worry about getting stuck anywhere…

The Unimog U406 variant was the first medium-duty model introduced by Mercedes, and was built at the Gaggenau plant between 1963 and 1989. In all, over 37,000 examples were produced.

This U406 was used as a service vehicle by the Berlin Water Utility company, before it found a less labour-intensive home at the museum.

The U406 received an extended wheelbase, and produced over double the horsepower of the original Daimler-Benz-manufactured Unimog, the U401.

Single and double-cab variants of the U406 were manufactured, and a version consisting of just the cab was offered to third parties, given the sheer versatility that the Unimog platform had the potential to achieve.

The Unimog UGE U530 was the most powerful Unimog ‘implement carrier’ model offered by Mercedes, until the U535 was unveiled in 2022. However, with a  6-cylinder diesel engine good for 300bhp and 885lb ft (1200 Nm), the U530 is still no slouch.

The ‘implement carrier’ Unimog UGE allows for different attachments to be easily and quickly equipped to four different mounting points, such as snowploughs, cranes and even crop sprayers, meaning it can be suited to almost any assignment thrown at it.

The Unimog U1300L, such as this example, was especially popular with the German Fire Department. It was based on the Unimog 435-series, which was built at the Unimog plant in Gaggenau between 1975 and 1993, as well as in Turkey.

The Unimog continues to be a popular choice amongst fire fighters today because of the multiple different power take-off points available, which allow for the outfitting of various pumps, hoses, winches and generators in hard-to-access areas.

The Unimog U406 had one of the longest production runs of all Unimog variants, at 26 years (1963-1989). As you would expect over such an extended period, the model received several updates, such as a new, direct-injected diesel engine in 1964, as well as disc brakes in 1973.

This example, fitted with a tipper bed and a hydraulic front ram, dates back to 1970.

The Unimog U401 was the successor to the original Unimog 70200/2010, and was built between 1953 and 1956 at the Gaggenau plant. A long wheelbase version, the U402, was also built alongside, before both were replaced by the U411.

Initial examples of the U401, such as this one, were only available with a canvas roof. An enclosed cab, built by Westfalia, was introduced in September 1953 as an option.

This very yellow, Unimog-based MB-Trac is a 700 model. Introduced in 1975, two years after production of the MB-Trac first began, it was built until 1991.

During this time, just short of 4000 units of the 700 were produced in total.

Despite their reputation for being unbelievably tough, classic Unimogs, such as this U406, can still throw the odd surprise here and there in terms of reliability. As with every older vehicle, the likeliness of any issues depends on how well it has been looked after – which leads us to think that this immaculate example only had its bonnet up to display the engine.

Still, if it ever did have an issue, at least U406 Unimogs are easy to work on…

Unsurprisingly, there were several Unimogs dotted around outside of the museum during our visit too. Many venture back to Gaggenau, the same town where they may well have originated from, to visit the museum or to be restored or prepared for events.

This orange U425 appeared to have been there for the latter of the two. The U425 was the first heavy-duty Unimog to enter production and was built between 1975 and 1988.

The Unimog U404, which was also called the Unimog S, was built between 1955 and 1980. It was the most produced of any Unimog series, with almost 65,000 units leaving the Gaggenau factory.

The French army was a prominent customer of the U404, which was where this example spent much of its life. The French army purchased the first 1100 examples off the production line, after Mercedes built them two prototypes in 1954 that were well received.

Of course, the Unimog isn’t the only offroad-ready truck that Mercedes builds today, as the range has also expanded to include the Zetros (pictured).

However, while the larger Zetros has a higher payload capacity, and has also become a popular choice within military and humanitarian aid circles, the lighter Unimog is still the offroad king within the range.

Today, alongside the aforementioned Unimog UGE ‘implement carrier’, the Unimog range also consists of the Unimog UHE. Dubbed the ultimate off-roader, the cab design for the UHE has remained largely the same since the 1990s, because producing the tools to mould a new steel cabin is so expensive. However, changes have been made under the skin in an effort to make the modern Unimog more unstoppable than ever.

While the earliest Unimogs are actually very small proportionally, it’s a different story with the modern equivalents. When parked side by side, this double-cab UHE absolutely dwarfs the current C-Class estate.

Besides visiting the museum itself, you can also partake in either a passenger ride in a Unimog UHE on an offroad demonstration course, or, if you’re feeling particularly brave, even drive one yourself.

So, of course, we had to have a go…

As part of the course, the UHE is asked to tackle a 45-degree slope, which would ordinarily be impossible for a vehicle weighing around 10,000kg. However, such an obstacle is of no concern to a Unimog.

The experience is a great way to really see for yourself what the Unimog is capable of. Prices vary depending on which type of experience you choose, and you have to book in advance.

Since opening in 2006, the Unimog Museum has already welcomed over 500,000 visitors, and is located In Gaggenau, Germany, on the B462 at the Schloss Rotenfels exit.

If you would like to visit yourself, you can book tickets for the museum, as well as for the Unimog offroad demonstration course, on its website:

https://www.unimog-museum.com/

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