...ok, it's not that gullwing. And it may well be a repost, but I hope it is new to some folks at least.
The Mercedes C111,
According to Pistonheads,
The C111 test cars that hurtled round the test tracks of Europe in the late sixties and early seventies may have made it look like Mercedes were indulging in some futuristic fantasies of no relavance to the period. In fact they were successfully testing many of the ideas that have since made it into mainstream production. That, and having a lot of fun of course.
The first cars were used to test out Mercedes' plans for rotary engines. The company had declared that it would put a rotary engine into production cars. It set its men in white coats the task of developing and proving such an engine. The three-rotor Wankel engine in the first C 111 of 1969 developed 280 hp, giving the car a top speed of 160mph.
Using the C 111 prototypes they experimented with the motors and also a number of other innovations. Some of those we benefit from today including suspension configurations allowing wide tyres and plastic bodywork to reduce weight and improve aerodynamic efficiency.
Back to the pictures -
triple tailpipes ftw!
Which eventually gave way to this slippery looking number, the C111 III (with a diesel engine)
The Mercedes C111,
According to Pistonheads,
The C111 test cars that hurtled round the test tracks of Europe in the late sixties and early seventies may have made it look like Mercedes were indulging in some futuristic fantasies of no relavance to the period. In fact they were successfully testing many of the ideas that have since made it into mainstream production. That, and having a lot of fun of course.
The first cars were used to test out Mercedes' plans for rotary engines. The company had declared that it would put a rotary engine into production cars. It set its men in white coats the task of developing and proving such an engine. The three-rotor Wankel engine in the first C 111 of 1969 developed 280 hp, giving the car a top speed of 160mph.
Using the C 111 prototypes they experimented with the motors and also a number of other innovations. Some of those we benefit from today including suspension configurations allowing wide tyres and plastic bodywork to reduce weight and improve aerodynamic efficiency.
Back to the pictures -
triple tailpipes ftw!
Which eventually gave way to this slippery looking number, the C111 III (with a diesel engine)
