It has been 50 years since Mercedes-Benz unveiled the C111-II experimental vehicle at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show. Developed as what Mercedes described as a "super sportscar," it had gullwing doors like the iconic 300 SL Gullwing Coupe and was powered by a Wankel rotary engine. Though it was only a research vehicle, it quickly became the dream car of the Seventies.
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It was used as a test bed for many features such as a multi-link rear suspension, a new interior design and air conditioning...
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It even featured pop-up headlights along with several different engines in its mid-ship layout including two- to four-rotor Wankels, turbodiesels, and even mass-produced V8s.
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One of its many highlights was its aforementioned gullwing doors and fiberglass body. It was such a hit that many well-heeled customers even sent blank checks to Mercedes' headquarters in Stuttgart in a bid to get the carmaker to put the C111-II into production.
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But then why didn't Mercedes put the popular concept into production?
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There were several factors involved. Mercedes always had safety as a core brand value and the C111’s extreme nature did not fit into that...
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What's more, the rotary engine required meticulous upkeep and it had very poor fuel consumption. And with the C111 coming just in time for the global fuel crisis of the early Seventies, it was never going to get off the ground.
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And following the 1955 Le Mans disaster where 84 spectators were killed and 180 injured after a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR crashed into an Austin-Healey and flew into the grandstands, Daimler was weary of building too many sporty cars......
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It is a real pity that the gorgeous car, designed by Merc's Italian stylist Bruno Sacco, never made it to the mass market. It was beautiful, bold, fast — and way ahead of its time.
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When a fourth rotor was added to the rotary motor, it increased horsepower from 276 to 345 and it could hit 100kph in less than five seconds...
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Although Mercedes built three generations of experimental C111s, the C111-II is arguably the most recognizable.
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Because rear visibility was also an issue with the C111, the C111-II gained a heavily revised engine lid without side louvers.
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Mercedes-Benz dropped rotary engine due to poor fuel consumption and the C111-II was retrofitted with a 3.5-litre V8 mated to a standard five-speed manual transmission.
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When it comes to concept cars which really ought to have made it to production, then without a doubt the Mercedes-Benz C111-II would sit very high in that list...
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Even the Federal German President Walter Scheel was a fan of the car. He's seen here in 1974 getting in for a ride.
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