Mercedes-Benz C111/II | |
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Overview | |
Manufacturer | Daimler-Benz |
Production | 1970 (16 cars produced) |
Assembly | Untertürkheim |
Designer | Bruno Sacco |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Sports car |
Body style | 2-door berlinetta |
Layout | Longitudinal, Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive |
Doors | Gullwing doors |
Powertrain | |
Engine | |
Power output | |
Transmission | 5-speed manual |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 2,620 mm (103 in) |
Length | 4,440 mm (175 in) |
Width | 1,800 mm (71 in) |
Height | 1,120 mm (44 in) |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | Mercedes-Benz SL-X |
Successor | Mercedes-Benz CW311 Mercedes-Benz C112 |
The Mercedes-Benz C111 was a series of experimental automobiles produced by Daimler-Benz in the 1960s and 1970s. The company was experimenting with new engine technologies, including Wankel engines, diesel engines, and turbochargers, and used the basic C111 platform as a testbed. Other experimental features included multi-link rear suspension, gull-wing doors and a luxurious interior with leather trim and air conditioning.
The first version of the C111 was completed in 1969, and presented at the 1969 IAA in Frankfurt. The car used a fiberglass body shell and with a mid-mounted three-rotor direct fuel injected Wankel engine (code named M950F). The next C111 appeared in 1970; it was shown at the 1970 Geneva International Motor Show. It used a four-rotor engine producing 260 kW (349 hp). [1] The car reportedly could reach a speed of 300 km/h (186 mph). [5]
The company decided not to adopt the Wankel engine and turned to diesel experiments for the second and third C111s. The C111-IID's engine was a Mercedes-Benz OM 617, and produced 140 kW (188 hp) at 4200 min−1. It was based on the Mercedes-Benz 85 kW variant of the OM 617 used in the Mercedes-Benz W 116 S-Class, but had a different turbocharger without a wastegate, which allowed an increased pressure ratio of 3.3. Daimler-Benz also added an intercooler that significantly improved the engine's thermal efficiency. [2]
The C 111 III prototype that was completed in 1978, had a more aerodynamic bodywork that gave it an air drag coefficient of 0.195. It had a modified 3-litre version of the Mercedes-Benz OM 617 five-cylinder Diesel, now producing 170 kW (228 hp), and a BMEP of 1.68 MPa, resulting in a maximum torque of 401 N·m at 3600 min−1. It enabled the C 111 III to reach a top speed of 338 km/h (210 mph) at the Nardò Ring in 1978, and also to average a 16 l/100 km fuel consumption at an average speed of 325 km/h. [4] The engine was fitted with an M-type inline injection pump of Bosch's PE series with a maximum injection pressure of 40 MPa. [6]
A later 4.5 L twin KKK-turbocharged V8 version that produced 368 kW (493 hp; 500 PS) at 6000/min [3] set another record, with an average lap-speed of 403.78 km/h (250.958 mph). This was achieved by Hans Liebold in 1 minute, 56.67 seconds on May 5, 1979. [7]
Total production was 16 cars: 13 first and second generation Wankel engined cars, two diesel engined third generation cars used in the Nardò record attempt, and a single V8 engined fourth generation car. [8]
Mercedes-Benz introduced the C112 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1991 as a proposed production sports car. The car used a mid-mounted 6.0 L V12 engine. After accepting 700 deposits, the company decided not to proceed with production.
The Wankel engine is a type of internal combustion engine using an eccentric rotary design to convert pressure into rotating motion. The concept was proven by German engineer Felix Wankel, followed by a commercially feasible engine designed by German engineer Hanns-Dieter Paschke. The Wankel engine's rotor, which creates the turning motion, is similar in shape to a Reuleaux triangle, with the sides having less curvature. The rotor spins inside a figure-eight-like epitrochoidal housing around a fixed-toothed gearing. The midpoint of the rotor moves in a circle around the output shaft, rotating the shaft via a cam.
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
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The OM617 engine family is a straight-5 diesel automobile engine from Mercedes-Benz used in the 1970s and 1980s. It is a direct development from the straight-4 OM616. It was sold in vehicles from 1974 to 1991. The OM617 is considered to be one of the most reliable engines ever produced with engines often reaching over 1,000,000 km (620,000 mi) without being rebuilt and is one of the key reasons for Mercedes' popularity in North America in the 1980s, as it was powerful and reliable compared to other automotive diesels of the time. It is also a very popular choice for the use of alternative fuels, mainly straight or waste vegetable oil and biodiesel, although the use of these fuels may cause engine damage over time if not processed properly before use.
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The Mercedes-Benz W116 is a series of flagship luxury sedans produced from September 1972 until 1980. The W116 automobiles were the first Mercedes-Benz models to be officially called S-Class, although some earlier sedan models had already been designated unofficially with the letter 'S' for Sonderklasse. The W116 was selected as European Car of the Year in 1974.
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The Mercedes-Benz M 950 is a prototype Wankel rotary engine made by Daimler-Benz. It was first described in Wolf-Dieter Bensinger's 1969 essay Der heutige Entwicklungsstand des Wankelmotors, published in January of 1970. The engine was developed by Daimler-Benz's Wankel engine department, headed by Bensinger. About 100 units were built, of which some 3- and 4-rotor units were installed in the Mercedes-Benz C 111 experimental sports car, from 1969 until 1970, as a mid-engine. Although scheduled for commercial introduction in 1970 as a 2-rotor engine, the M 950 had not reached the series production stage by 1972. Daimler-Benz then developed a successor to the M 950, the M 951, but Daimler-Benz's Wankel engine development was abandoned in 1976.
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Wankel Diesel engine describes the idea of using the Diesel principle in a Wankel rotary engine. Several attempts to build such an engine have been made by different engineers and manufacturers in the 1960s and 1970s. Due to technical problems and the general disadvantages of the Wankel design, the Wankel Diesel engine never left the prototype stage, and designing a Wankel Diesel engine capable of running under its own power is thus considered unfeasible.
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Con un motore biturbo V8 da 4,82 litri e una potenza di 373 kW (500 CV) a 6.200 giri/min, la Mercedes-Benz C111-IV raggiunge la velocità di 404 km/h. Con questa vettura l'ingegnere capo Hans Liebold percorse il "giro lanciato" sul circuito di Nardò in 1:57 min.