The InterCityExperimental was the prototype for the ICE 1 that was meant to considerably increase the speed of the existing InterCity trains, which only reached 200 km/h. Development started in 1979 and construction started in 1983. Like other European high speed trains of this time, it had one power car at each end and unpowered trailer cars in between. While all high speed traffic in other countries only uses dedicated high speed lines, the new German train had to share most of its lines with slower trains.

The power cars were based on the new class 120 three-phase locomotive, but had a reduced output of only 4,200 kW and were optimized for higher speeds. The prototype was designed for a regular top speed of 350 km/h. Additionally, they were streamlined and had only one cab. Between the power cars, there were three trailers. The gaps between the individual cars were covered with aerodynamic fairings, which were not taken over into the production trains. The trailers were built from aluminium to save weight.

The prototype was completed in 1985 and early test runs were already done with more than 300 km/h. On May 1, 1988, it set a world record with 406.9 km/h that only held 17 months. The production version of the ICE 1 took over most details of the InterCityExperimental, but had a top speed of only 280 km/h. Even after the introduction of the ICE 1, the prototype was used for more tests and was now called ICE/V. It was withdrawn in 1998, one year after the ICE S was completed as new test train.