The little-known Mercedes 600 mid-engined sports car from Dortmund
At the beginning of 1971, a new mid-engined coupé called the Ribic-Mercedes was rumored in the press. The March 4, 1971 issue of Automobil Revue described the car, which was to compete with Ferrari, Maserati, Monteverdi and Lamborghini.
The appearance of the flat sports car, which was just over one meter high, was impressive. The eight-cylinder engine from the Mercedes Benz 600 with a displacement of 6.3 liters and 250 hp was joined by a sheet metal box frame with an integrated roll bar, over which the body arched with gullwing doors. All wheels were individually suspended. The total weight was specified as just over 1000 kg, which was intended to enable acceleration to 100 km/h in under six seconds.
One of these 300 km/h sports cars was to cost between DM 52,000 and 60,000 (depending on the version and special requests) and the Dortmund-based car manufacturer Ribic reported three firm orders. The owners would benefit from being able to order maintenance work from any Mercedes workshop.
It is not known whether three of these cars were actually built and whether one or more survived. Anyone who knows more about this interesting car should please contact Zwischengas.
