Trucking Milestones: 1962 – experimenting with the LG 315

Series: Trucking Milestones

“Wanna bet?” – the Coke test.

Does the operator of the Matra crane have the touch required for the bottle trick?


It’s 1962, and the German family television show “Wetten, dass..?” (Wanna bet?) has not been created yet. But it’s no matter, as a TV screen or a presenter by the name of Thomas Gottschalk are not needed to wage an exciting bet.

The following are all that’s needed in the early 1960s: a bottle of Coca-Cola, a dozen or so witnesses and an LG 315. The German armed forces, which are still in the process of being established at this time, are to thank for the high production figures of the off-road version of the 315.

But let's get back to the wager: can the crane operator lower a 1.000 kilogram block of cement onto an empty bottle lying on the ground so carefully that the bottle does not break? In short, yes! With great touch and unerring precision, he sinks the bottle safely into the wet ground.

We are sure that this would still amaze viewers today. It’s just a pity that “Wetten, dass..?” has since been cancelled.


Photos: Daimler AG

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