12 replies to this topic

[TT6]

Hello!

Just found a some of my old toys, a Matchbox 1:43 Mercedes Benz C III from ca. 1971. I tried to find some information of the real one but I couldn't, so please help me out... Possibly pics?

The engine of the car seems to be MR. Was it a some kind of a racing car or just an sports car for rich playboys?

[byrkus]

I believe you're thinking about C111 (not CIII). It had Wankel rotary engine, and AFAIK, it was never meant to be a racing car - despite its looks. IIRC, they tried to put it in production (with 5.0 V8), but it never came true...

In 1979, updated version of C111 with Diesel engine set a number of speed world records for Diesel engined car. It was called C111 - IV, IIRC.

[mp4]

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Keke Rosberg set some sort of record in this car? In Italy, perhaps?

[WGD706]

Daimler-Benz made several Rotary Combustion Engine (RCE) prototypes from 1962 into the early 70s. Some were developed for small sedans, but the one of most spectacular vehicles ever to flaunt a rotary was the two-seat C111, complete with gull-wing doors. The engine was placed mid-ship. Sixteen prototypes were built.
The MB C111 had three- and four-rotor engines, first shown in 1969 and 1970, respectively. The three-rotor could generate 280 bhp and move the car 0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds.
The four-rotor developed as much as 400 horsepower, though it was usually tuned for the street at 305 horsepower. The engine had a displacement of 2.4 litres. There were interesting innovations such as a variable length intake and an anti-lock braking system (ABS). The car weighed 2900 pounds, but was capable of 185 mph. When tuned for 350 hp it did 0 to 60 mph in under 4.8 seconds. The body was changed from the previous year by adding air scoops in the front and cut-aways in the rear roof.
The project was headed by Dr Hans Liebold. It ultimately fell victim to the oil crisis and a timid board with a "not-invented-here" attitude. This was a shame because the cars were unfailingly reliable and wonderful at holding the road. At the high-point and termination in 1978 it set speed records of 403 km/h (250 mph).
http://www.travelhead.com/cars/c111/

[Vitesse2]

There was a lot of press speculation at the time that the C111 was the beginning of a return to racing for the 3-pointed star. Pity the Wankel engine never really paid off as a competition unit ....

[VAR1016]

Originally posted by Vitesse2
There was a lot of press speculation at the time that the C111 was the beginning of a return to racing for the 3-pointed star. Pity the Wankel engine never really paid off as a competition unit ....

Well Mazda did eventually win Le Mans with it!

PdeRL

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by TT6
Hello!

Just found a some of my old toys, a Matchbox 1:43 Mercedes Benz C III from ca. 1971. I tried to find some information of the real one but I couldn't, so please help me out... Possibly pics?

The engine of the car seems to be MR. Was it a some kind of a racing car or just an sports car for rich playboys?

Karl Ludvigsen's yer man here - there's a lot about Mercedes' record-breaking with the C111 (in both its Diesel and Wankel forms) in Quicksilver Century.

pete

[TT6]

Thanks a lot everybody!

And the model is old and it's been used very hard (sand, paint, hammer - you name it...), so it really looked like C III.

[dmj]

Very nice article on C111 in one of last Motor Klassik magazines... Well, nice pictures at least (I don't understand German but bought it for pics.)

[Rainer Nyberg]

Some technical information about the C111 appears as a PDF file here :

http://66.127.194.14...f/RN_010503.pdf

[Leif Snellman]

Originally posted by petefenelon
Karl Ludvigsen's yer man here - there's a lot about Mercedes' C111 in Quicksilver Century.

44 PAGES!

[Ray Bell]

Some previously unpublished photos...





.....belatedly... thanks Neil.....

[Option1]

After some experimentation, I figured out the link to Ray's second pic is http://members.atlas...s/C111front.jpg

Neil