Mercedes-Benz Worldwide

Menu
  • News
  • A-Class
  • B-Class
  • C-Class
  • E-Class
  • S-Class
  • G-Class
  • V-Class
  • X-Class
  • T-Class
  • CLA
  • CLS
  • CLK
  • GLA
  • GLB
  • GLC
  • GLE
  • GLS
  • SL
  • SLC
  • Citan
  • Sprinter
  • AMG GT
  • Maybach
  • EQ
  • Unimog
  • Trucks
  • F1
  • Concept Car

Mercedes-Benz 300 SL W198 Legend 50 Years Ago

Mercedes-Benz | Mercedes-AMG 18/02/2021 350 Comments
Mercedes-Benz | Mercedes-AMG
Click to rate this post
[Total: 1 Average: 5]

Coupé body, gullwing doors, direct fuel injection, checkered seats. Also, we should add the name of Rudolf Uhlenhaut. These details will probably make you think about the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL/W 198 from 1954.
 

Even if everything listed here fits, very few people might remember another car, shown some 16 years later: the Mercedes C 111-II. And it’s hard to believe they spent such an extensive amount of work on this car just to make it a concept or a technical test-bed vehicle. Here’s what we have to say about it nowadays.
 

During the last part of the sixties, as chief of the development department of the Mercedes-Benz automobiles, Rudolf Uhlenhaut took care about the development of C 111 prototypes. And yes, he was also the man behind the illustrious 1954 300 SL Gullwing. While the newer generations of the SL series were by then sliding toward a typical premium grand turismo kind of automobile, was Uhlenhaut trying hard to bring to life a worthy successor to the 300 SL?
 

Two renowned designers worked on the C 111’s style: Paul Bracq, who penned the early versions (see him in one of our photos), and Bruno Sacco, who completed the design in 1969. The so-called C 111-II, which had its premiere at the 1969 Frankfurt Motor Show, looks pretty much like a ready to go into production car. Everything on its body is perfectly integrated and the interior trim is well put together, with a dedicated design for the upholstery and dashboard. Even the luggage compartment was studied and optimized!
 

In the engine bay, there was a formidable piece of engineering: a three-rotor Wankel engine with an output of 280 PS (276 hp). Soon, for 1970, one more rotor was added, and the power peak reached 350 PS (345 hp), giving the C 111-II a top speed of 300 kph (186 mph).
 
That said, wouldn’t you have expected the presentation of a final C 111 version for 1971? Something to show that Stuttgart was able to do it again in light of the legendary 300 SL? As we all know by now, this never happened, unfortunately. Some say the typical technical shortcomings (high oil consumption, precarious reliability, and durability) of the rotary engines ended it.
 

Of the twelve cars built, eleven were powered by Wankel engines. Sometime later, two of the cars were temporarily fitted with conventional fuel-fed V8 engines, while the 1975 C 111-III (different design) was used as a test-bed for modern diesel technology. To us, the V8 engines seem like a quite good idea, but, probably, it didn’t look good enough to some top-executives in Stuttgart.
 
Certainly, with something like the C 111 in the landscape, the whole supercar segment would have had a different evolution during the recent decades. And have one more look at it: can you tell, even by today’s standards, that the C 111-II is an obviously outdated car?

Share this ↓

Related posts :

  1. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL With A Modern Engine & Chassis
  2. 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Specs & Pictures
  3. 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Prototype Specs & Pictures
  4. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL For Auction Starting At $1.3 Million
  5. The World’s First Mercedes-Benz SL Is A Legend
  6. Mercedes 300 SL With A Modern Engine And Chassis
  7. The Oldest Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing By Jay Leno
  8. 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster From Monaco
  9. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Hot Rod Restomod
  10. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing With Only 84,000 Miles
  11. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Mashed With Mercedes-AMG GT R
  12. 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Specs & Pictures
  13. Mercedes-Benz Gullwing Construction Shortfilm
  14. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Full Restoration As A New Car
  15. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Built Into An AMG Swapped Supercharged Widebody Monster
  16. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Restomod Versions By AMG
  17. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Restomod The Car Debuted At The Super Bowl Halftime Show
  18. 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster Worth More Than $1M
  19. Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Recommissioning An Automotive Icon
  20. £1 Million Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Detail
Prev Article
Next Article

350 Comments

    « Older Comments
  1. slot online terpercaya

    The assessment is extremely interesting.
    If you wish to find out slot deposit pulsa, I propose playing upon respected situs slot deposit pulsa websites online.
    As possible accomplish big positive aspects and get guaranteed payouts.

    If you want to know, you could quickly follow
    the link beneath. The hyperlink is in reality an online video slot web site that will be frequently employed amidst Indonesia players.

    21/05/2022
  2. http://wbcsnotebook.com/index.php?qa=user&qa_1=chiefairbus1

    Thanks for sharing your info. I really appreciate your efforts
    and I am waiting for your next write ups thanks once again.

    21/05/2022
  3. « Older Comments

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Google Translate

Recent Posts

  • Mercedes Vision AMG Concept Preview Of Performance EV
  • 2023 Mercedes-Maybach Haute Voiture Special Edition Review
  • Mercedes-Benz A-Class Will Stop Production?
  • New Mercedes-AMG SL Roadster’s Intelligent Suspension Tech By Tenneco
  • Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance F1 Edition Unveiled
  • Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG 6×6 Brabus Truck Sold For Over $1.1 Million
  • Mercedes-Benz S 550 Wrapped Burgandy And sat On Forgiato Wheels
  • Mercedes-Benz EQG To Offer Optional Extended Range Battery With Silicon Anode Chemistry
  • 2023 Mercedes-AMG SL 43 Opens For Order
  • Mercedes-Benz CLE Cabriolet By Renderings
  • Mercedes-AMG G 63 Pickup Brabus 900 XLP One Of Ten
  • 2023 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Facelift Inside And Out
  • 2022 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Review Test Drive
  • 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class US Version Specs & Pictures
  • 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC Debuts June 1
  • Mercedes-Benz GLB Recalls Over Incorrect Headlight Leveling
  • Mercedes-Benz C-Class Is Turning 40 This Year
  • Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Classic Wood Carving
  • Mercedes-AMG A 45 Edition 55 As An Anniversary Mark
  • Mercedes-Benz S-Class Redesigned By BMW

Categories

  • A-Class
  • AMG GT
  • B-Class
  • C-Class
  • Citan
  • CLA
  • CLK
  • CLS
  • Concept Car
  • E-Class
  • EQ
  • F1
  • G-Class
  • GLA
  • GLB
  • GLC
  • GLE
  • GLS
  • Maybach
  • News
  • S-Class
  • SL
  • SLC
  • Sprinter
  • T-Class
  • Trucks
  • Unimog
  • V-Class
  • X-Class

Mercedes-Benz Worldwide

Copyright © 2022 Mercedes-Benz Worldwide