In 1977, units 4001-4007 were built as the prototypes by Talbot in Aken. They were referred to as IC3 and later as ICM-0 to differentiate them as from production units. They first saw service between Eindhoven and Venlo, on a section of track specifically designed for speeds up to 160km/h. Later they went into service between Amsterdam and Nijmegen. From 1983 onwards the followup series 4011-4097 appeared.