Mercedes-Benz C 111-II Concept Car 1970

Mercedes-Benz C 111-II Concept Car 1970

Mercedes-Benz C 111-II Concept Car 1970, When Mercedes-Benz introduced the Mercedes-Benz C 111-II Concept on the Geneva Motor Show in March 1970 it was the stuff of desires: breathtaking physique design, modern supplies and pioneering know-how – not to point out top-stage performance. An advance development of the examine that had been geared up with a three-rotor Wankel engine and presented on the 1969 International Motor Present (IAA) in Frankfurt am Essential, this version made its Geneva debut boasting a 4-rotor Wankel engine growing up to 257 kW.

The engine, a DB M950 KE409 model, had 600 cubic centimetres of volume per rotary piston and was essentially the most advanced of the rotary piston engines developed at Mercedes-Benz. The engine transmitted its power to the rear wheels by way of a 5-velocity transmission, accelerated the Mercedes-Benz C 111-II from a standing start to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds and gave a high speed of 300 km/h.

On this model of the supersports automotive, painted an orange-crimson colour often called “Weißherbst”, the engineers succeeded in finding the perfect set-up for the mid-engined coupé with its distinctive gullwing doors. For along with a new engine, the Mercedes-Benz C 111-II Concept additionally boasted a modified body. Because it appeared in Geneva, the car was far more than only a check vehicle for the modern drive concept developed by Felix Wankel. For the reason that launch of the undertaking in December 1967 Mercedes-Benz had developed a prime-class supersports automobile with the wherewithal to fill the gap left by the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (W 198 sequence). The enthusiastic response from visitors to the Geneva Motor Present confirmed this view. Orders have been obtained even earlier than the Stuttgart firm had set a price for the brand new gullwing – many offering downpayments or clean cheques.

One enchancment over the Mercedes-Benz C 111-I used to be the brand new mannequin’s improved aerodynamic effectivity: the drag coefficient of cd=0.325 was exceptionally low for the period. At the identical time, driver visibility was improved. With the modified body and new Wankel engine, which now developed torque of 40 mkg (392 Newton metres), no modern street-going supersports automotive was a match for the Mercedes-Benz C 111-II Concept.

And yet Mercedes-Benz determined in opposition to series production. “The Wankel engine was not yet mature sufficient to be handed over to clients in line with company requirements,” stated Dr. Hans Liebold in the yr 2000, the person who had been chargeable for creating the Mercedes-Benz C 111, from the primary Wankel examine proper as much as the later record-breaking vehicles with reciprocating piston engine. Furthermore, more and more stringent emissions regulations in the United States of America argued in opposition to the introduction of the rotary piston engine, for though it had typical gas consumption figures for the period (“a mean of 20 litres/a hundred km”, based on a difficulty of the magazine auto motor und sport dated 11 April 1970), emissions values were distinctly on the high side. A short time later, the oil crisis put an finish to all hopeful hypothesis relating to the coupé’s market launch.

Mercedes-Benz C 111-II Concept

By this time the development department at Mercedes-Benz had largely received to grips with the engineering design problems of the rotary piston principle, notably when it comes to engine mechanics. But the comparatively poor effectivity of the Wankel engine, which resulted from the elongated, variable combustion chambers of the rotary piston precept, could not be circumvented by technical modifications. The issue was simply inherent in the design: in a Wankel engine, the gas burns in the house between the convex aspect of the rotary piston and the concave wall of the piston housing, somewhat than within the cylindrical combustion chamber of a reciprocating-piston engine. The variable and less than compact combustion chambers of the Wankel engine had been responsible for poor thermodynamic gas economy compared with a reciprocating-piston engine, resulting in significantly greater gasoline consumption for the same output.

Mercedes-Benz C 111-II Concept Car 1970

However, the engine had some great benefits of a extremely compact design and tranquility even – while being pushed for sports activities performance. In November 1969 Ron Wakefield also discussed the Mercedes-Benz C 111 within the commerce magazine Street & Monitor: “Throughout my first journey I used to be instantly struck by the quietness of the power unit contained in the car. It was far quieter than, say, a 12-cyl. Lamborghini Miura.”

Looking back, Dr. Kurt Obländer, head of engine testing for the Mercedes-Benz C 111 challenge, described the Wankel engine as follows: “Our 4-rotor engine with gasoline injection represented the optimum of what may very well be reached with this engine concept. The multi-rotor design referred to as for peripheral ports for the intake-air and exhaust-gas ducts. We had been capable of solve the difficult problems in engine cooling and engine mechanics by technical means. But the idea’s predominant problem – its low thermodynamic diploma of effectivity – persisted.”

Mercedes-Benz C 111-II Concept Car 1970

At simply 1.12 metres in height, a variety of details about this flat sports activities coupé made reference to the historical past of Mercedes-Benz supersports cars. Such options included the gullwing doorways, paying homage to the 300 SL, and the consistent use of progressive drive expertise in a high-efficiency automobile. Unlike the 300 SL (spaceframe with metal and aluminium skin), nonetheless, the Mercedes-Benz C 111 had a physique product of glass fibre bolstered plastic, which was bonded to the metal flooring assembly.

Finally, the reason the Mercedes-Benz C 111-II Concept grew to become such an object of want among the many public – despite being formally introduced as a research and experimental vehicle – was all the way down to the excessive standards Mercedes-Benz set itself. For throughout its growth, the sports activities car was by no means treated merely as a test vehicle. Somewhat, the engineers seemed past the revolutionary drive and physique options, applying themselves to the vehicle setup and creating a holistic idea that additionally embraced design of the inside, noise insulation and chassis optimisation. When the Mercedes-Benz C 111-II Idea appeared on the 1970 Geneva Motor Show, it impressed the sensation of a supersports that had been constructed as an built-in complete – an automotive dream that was shut enough to touch.

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