Corsia Car of the Week: Mercedes-Benz C111

Mercedes-Benz C111 is an iconic supercar that has never entered the assembly line, is an impossible dream for many enthusiasts.

German Innovation

Mercedes introduced its innovative concept car at the 1969 Frankfurt Motor Show. The fashionable and avant-garde C111 was simply spectacular, almost stealing the limelight, and immediately became the dream of many people.

Rumor has it that the company has received various blank checks from eager enthusiasts who are eager to park the new Mercedes masterpiece in their driveway. But for automakers, the model is still an experiment, a wheel laboratory. Mercedes uses C111 as a testing ground for new materials and innovative technologies.

Design

Its windproof wedge-shaped body shell is made of lightweight fiberglass reinforced plastic. Under the hood, the first C111 iterations adopted the Wankel engine that promised to be revolutionary. Unfortunately, due to inefficiency and poor emissions, Merc engineers had to abandon rotating motors.

In addition, the model’s beautiful and aerodynamic fiberglass body proved to be disadvantageous in terms of increasing safety standards in the industry. For more than a decade, the automaker has produced 14 prototype cars, 11 of which have survived so far, and the only operational prototype is now powered by a 3.5-liter V8. Corsia Logistics was fortunate to spot it during Monterey Car Week a few years ago.

What do you think of the Mercedes-Benz C111? Does it ignite your heart with memories?