In the Concept Category, Team Barnes Selects the first 300km/h car, the 1969 Mercedes-Benz C-111
The C111 was a series of experimental automobiles produced by Mercedes-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 gullwing doors and a luxurious interior with leather trim and air conditioning.
The first version of the C111 was completed in 1969. It used a fiberglass body shell and had a three-rotor direct fuel injectedWankel engine mounted in the middle. The next C111 appeared in 1970. It used a four-rotor engine producing 370 hp (275 kW). The car could reportedly hit 290 km/h (180 mph).
The company decided not to adopt the Wankel engine and turned to Diesel experiments for the third C111. With its 230 horsepower (170 kW)@ 4,400-4,600 5-speed manual straight-5 turbo-Diesel, the C111 broke nine diesel and gas speed records. With more aerodynamic bodywork that gave it an air drag coefficient of an incredible .191, the C111 eventually hit 200 mph (322 km/h) at Narḍ in 1978, and averaged 14.7mpg@ 316 km/h (195.4 mph) over a 12 hour cruise. A later 500 hp (372 kW) 4.8 L twin KKK-turbocharged V8 version set another record, with an average lap-speed of 403.78 km/h (250.958 mph). It was achieved by Dr. Hans Leibold in 1 minute, 56.67 seconds on May 5, 1979.
The Following User Says Thank You to Barnes For This Useful Post:
With our 12th round selection, Lemelin's Lemmings are going back to the 80's and selecting the Ferrari 308.
Admittedly when I think of the 80's and cars my first thought is probably the Lamborghini Countach, but a close second would definitely be watching Magnum P.I. and imagining ripping around Hawaii in a Ferrari 308. Man did Magnum have the life!
While this car almost brought BMW to bankruptcy, it is a very nice looking vehicle. Only 252 where sold, and around 200 survive. One sold for $904,000 back in 2007 at auction.
One notable buyer of the vehicle was Elvis Presley.
Anyway, here are some pictures
__________________
"Opinions are like demo tapes, and I don't want to hear yours" -- Stephen Colbert
