4 replies to this topic

[nsmg]

Dear Sirs,

I'm looking for information about the 1982 Mercedes '' Project 201 '' Group B rally car project.
Reportedly a prototype was designed and built by the research dept. during 1982. It featured a 300HP engine ( Front or Mid-Engined ?) and a spaceframe chassis , weighting 900kg and using composite body panels. This is the only information I could get about this misterious car.
Any more information is welcome.

P.S : This is a ((very) difficult one....I can't see any replies coming in

Best Regards.
NSMG

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by nsmg
Dear Sirs,

I'm looking for information about the 1982 Mercedes '' Project 201 '' Group B rally car project.
Reportedly a prototype was designed and built by the research dept. during 1982. It featured a 300HP engine ( Front or Mid-Engined ?) and a spaceframe chassis , weighting 900kg and using composite body panels. This is the only information I could get about this misterious car.
Any more information is welcome.

P.S : This is a ((very) difficult one....I can't see any replies coming in

Best Regards.
NSMG

Not all that difficult, there's a quite a bit about it in chapter 24 of Karl Ludvigsen's "Quicksilver Century". "W201" was the project code for the 190, not the rally car in particular.

M-B were planning two GpB rally cars based on the 190 - a four-door 2.14l turbo for the hard, long rallies, and a 2-door short wheelbase hatchback with a 2.3l normally aspirated engine for the twisty ones (the Cosworth version of the M102 engine). Front-engined and rwd obviously, and not spaceframe as far as I can tell.

What doomed it was the Audi Quattro - and more specifically its 4wd system.... project canned at the end of 1980.

One prototype of the two-door hatchback was built, and is illustrated on p449 and p450 of the book.

[Darren Galpin]

I just wonder what on earth they would have looked like, especially having seen this effort from Mercedes in 1984.....

.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Darren Galpin
I just wonder what on earth they would have looked like,

Looks like an early 190 chopped off at the C-pillars with a hatchback on it! -- although the one prototype built was a road car, not a rally car so it's got normal wheels, arches, ground clearance etc. Don't have the ability to scan at the moment, so can't post the pic from Karl's book.

[karlcars]

Many thanks for the reference to my book. I tracked down this prototype to the storage buildings for the Mercedes Museum cars, and pieced the story together with a discussion with Mike Hall of Cosworth, who worked on the engines for this car. Indeed, no space frames were involved.