Thursday 12th March 1970

The Mercedes C111, the first of a series of experimental cars, made its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show. The original 1969 model used a mid-mounted three rotor Wankel rotary engine in a streamlined fibreglass body that produced a drag co-efficient of just 0.191. The following year it reappeared with a four-rotor, 350bhp Wankel engine and was reportedly capable of 180mph. Mercedes decided against rotary technology and the third iteration of the C111 used a 230 bhp straight-5 turbodiesel. With it Mercedes beat numerous diesel records, achieving 200mph at the Nardo high-speed bowl in Italy in 1978. Mercedes revived the name in 1991 for a road going supercar, the C112 but after taking 700 orders decided to kill the project.