Mercedes-Benz
C111
The Mercedes-Benz C111 was
a series of experimental automobiles produced by Mercedes-Benz in the 1960s and
1970s. The company was experimenting with new engine technologies, including
Wankel engines, Diesel engines, and turbochargers, and used the basic C111
platform as a testbed. Other experimental features included multi-link rear
suspension, gullwing doors and a luxurious interior with leather trim and air
conditioning.
The
first version of the C111 was completed in 1969. The car used a fiberglass body
shell and with a mid-mounted three-rotor direct fuel injected Wankel engine
(code named M950F). The next C111 appeared in 1970. It used a four-rotor engine
producing 370 hp (275 kW). The car reportedly could reach a speed of 290 km/h
(180 mph).
The
company decided not to adopt the Wankel engine and turned to Diesel experiments
for the second and third C111. The C111-IID produced 190 horsepower (140 kW)
and was based on the 240D 3.0 W115 model OM617 engine. The C111-III was powered
by a 230 horsepower (170 kW) @ 4,500 rpm straight-5 OM617 turbodiesel which
broke nine diesel and gas speed records. With more aerodynamic bodywork that
gave it an air drag coefficient of 0.191, the C111 eventually
reached 200 mph (322 km/h) at Nardò in 1978, and averaged 14.7 mpg @ 316 km/h
(195.4 mph) over a 12-hour cruise. A later 500 hp (372 kW) 4.8 L twin
KKK-turbocharged V8 version set another record, with an average lap-speed of
403.78 km/h (250.958 mph). It was achieved by Dr. Hans Leibold in 1 minute,
56.67 seconds on May 5, 1979.
Mercedes-Benz
introduced the C112 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1991 as a proposed
production sports car. The car used a mid-mounted 6.0 L V12 engine. After
accepting 700 deposits, the company decided not to proceed with production.
