At the 1969 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Stuttgart manufacturer surpassed all expectations revealing a super sports car well ahead of its time. With gullwing doors and a Wankel rotary engine, the C111 was a research vehicle that quickly became the absolute dream car of the 1970s. A dream that would never come true to consumers except as die-cast model toys.
Although prior rumors were that MB was creating the new Gullwing 300SL from the 1950s, from the very start, the C 111 was conceived purely as an experimental vehicle to test the use of glass-fibre-reinforced plastic for automotive body shells, the rotary piston engine designed by Felix Wankel, new modern suspension and to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of sporty road-going cars. It was the 1970s ICON: MERCEDES-BENZ C111.
The possible success of these technologies could however make Mercedes consider its production also based on the great interest from public. Enthusiasts were at some point in talks to guarantee orders through cash deposits.
Continue reading the 1970s ICON: MERCEDES-BENZ C111 story by Alex Iervolino, Designer, ROUE Watches, https://rouewatch.com/cars/c111-the-mercedes-benz-laboratory-car-that-became-a-1970s-icon/