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Mercedes-Benz C111 - The orange childhood dream

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Created on December 13, 2024

Reading time 12min

Written by:

Martin Sigrist

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Mercedes-Benz Classic

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Mercedes-Benz

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Martin Sigrist

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Mercedes-Benz Presse

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Bruno von Rotz

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Archiv

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Mercedes-Benz Classic

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Mercedes-Benz

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Martin Sigrist

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Mercedes-Benz Presse

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Bruno von Rotz

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Mercedes-Benz C111 II (1970) - Einige Runden Steilwandkurve zum Aufwärmen

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Mercedes-Benz C111 II (1970) - Der C111 hätte das Zeug zu einem schnellen und sportlichen Mittelmotor-GT-Wagen gehabt

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Mercedes-Benz C111 II (1970) - Ein C111 in einer Steilwandkurve erscheint irgendwie vertraut für Kinder der 1970er-Jahre

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Mercedes-Benz C111 II (1970) - Mehr als 140 wollten wir dem seltenen Stück nicht abverlangen

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Mercedes-Benz C111 II (1970) - Auf der Steilwandstrecke in Immendingen

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Mercedes-Benz C111 II (1970) - Die Flügeltüren erinnern an den 300SL

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Mercedes-Benz C111 II (1970) - Dieser Wagen der Serie II ist heute der einzige fahrbare C111

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Mercedes-Benz C111 II (1970) - Die Serie II des C111 wirkt fertig durchgestaltet

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Mercedes-Benz C111 II (1970) - Der C111 der Serie II hatte ein neues Heck mit runden Rückleuchten

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Mercedes-Benz C111 II (1970) - Das riesige Lenkrad passt wie eine Faust aufs Auge

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Mercedes-Benz C111 II (1970) - Mit Museumsstücken soll nur moderat gerast werden

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Mercedes-Benz C111 II (1970) - Sitze mit Pepita-Sitzbezügen

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Mercedes-Benz C111 II (1970) - Kaum Schattenseiten beim C111

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Mercedes-Benz C111 II (1970) - Bereit zur Testfahrt

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Rund 65 Kilometer verschiedenster Versuchstrecken, darunter Strassenstücke mit allen Eigenschaften der wichtigsten Exportmärkte, stehen im Testzentrum Immendingen zur Verfügung

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Mercedes-Benz C111 II (1970) - Ein Traumauto als Kind, der Fernlenk - C111 von GAMA

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Mercedes-Benz C111 (1969-1970) - C111 im Mercedes-Benz Museum

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Mercedes-Benz C111 (1969-1970) - C111 Motor im MB-Museum Stuttgart

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Mercedes-Benz C111 (1969-1970) - Vom C111 gab es insgesamt vier Serien

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Mercedes Benz C111 (1970) - die Version C111/II attraktiv präsentiert

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Mit dem Mercedes-Benz C111 IV stellte Mercedes einen spektakulären neuen Rundstreckenrekord von 403,978 km/h auf

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Mercedes-Benz C111-II (1970) - mit Vierscheiben-Wankelmotor auf dem Genfer Automobilsalon 1970

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1969 zeigte Mercedes an der IAA Frankfurt einen Dreischeiben-Wankel mit 280 PS, der Vierscheiben-Motor folgte 1970.

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Mercedes C111 (1969) - das Wankel-Coupé mit Flügeltüren - Internationale Automobilausstellung (IAA) in Frankfurt 1969

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Porsche 959 (1988) - das ex-Karajan-Auto - in der Porsche-Sonderschau - Oldtimer- und Teilemarkt Fribourg 2014

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Lamborghini Countach (1975) - 115'000 Franken teures Mittelmotor-Coupé mit V12 vor der Hinterachse - Genfer Automobilsalon 1975

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Mercedes-Benz W100 Pullman (1972)

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Summary

The Mercedes-Benz C111 was one of the best-known dream cars of the 1970s. It was extensively celebrated in the press and released in many different forms as a model or toy car. However, the car, which was built in very small numbers, was never intended for sale and it was impossible to see a C111 in action. In 2014, Mercedes-Benz restored an example with a piston engine to working order. In 2020, our author had the opportunity to drive the car and fulfill a childhood dream. Since 2024, the C111 Series II has even had the originally intended four-disc Wankel engine again.

This article contains the following chapters

Overtaken by reality
Mercedes-Benz invited us to dream
Dream laps
Wankel euphoria

Estimated reading time: 12min

Preview (beginning of the article)

It was available from Schuco and its direct competitor GAMA, both with cable remote control in plastic in the impressive scale of 1/16, Joustra in France produced it in the same remote-controlled form in 1/20, Corgi-Toys offered the car as a die-cast model in 1/43, Märklin opted for the same 1/43 collector's scale as well as in 1/32 for the race track, It was available from Japanese manufacturers in countless variants, sizes and colors, also made of sheet metal, from Hotwheels in 1/64 or from Wiking for the model railroad as a tiny model in 1/87 - and in countless other scales and materials from an almost unmanageable number of manufacturers from all toy-producing industrial countries. We are talking about the Mercedes-Benz C111.

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