The Mercedes-Benz C111 was developed only as an experimental prototype with gullwing doors, which was built to break supercar speed records in the 1970s, and was also an inspiration for future Mercedes-Benz models, the C111 went through every experiment that Mercedes could think of and got first fitted with a 3-rotor fuel-injected Wankel engine, which was later replaced with 4-rotors, was able to put out 350hp, later on, Mercedes-Benz found out that the Wankel engine is not that reliable, so they replaced it with a 228hp turbo diesel engine, codenamed OM617 in a more aerodynamic body with a drag coefficient of 0.191cd, which broke the diesel and gasoline speed records by achieving a top-speed of 322kmph, and then they got even crazier and fitted it with a 4.8 L twin KKK-turbocharged V8 which has an average top speed of 250.958mph or 403.78 km/h. And to pay homage to the legend C111 Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the Vision One-Eleven Concept.
The design of the Vision One-Eleven Concept is a futuristic interpretation of the 1970s Mercedes-Benz C111 experimental prototype with the signature combination of orange paint and blacked-out lower elements, which are for aerodynamic purposes in the One-Eleven Concept, from the front, the One-Eleven Concept gets round headlight pixels, which resembles the front look of the C111, has the logo on the hood as well, from the side, it got the gullwing doors like the C111, the front wheel arches are equipped with pop-up cameras which will act as rear-view mirrors, got the gullwing doors, it also has a bubble like structure around the driver and the passenger with a complete glass roof and has a set of lovely looking 22″ alloys, from the rear, there is a pixelated display which with the taillights shows battery data while charging, it got a pop-up rear spoiler, and it has a giant diffuser instead of a rear bumper. All these elements make the One-Elevn look the best of both worlds.
The interior of the Vision One-Eleven Concept has a tri-colour combination of orange, white and silver, to keep the cabin airy and for giving it a perfect retro but futuristic vibe which also features augmented reality, the seats can be moved forward and backwards only because the bottom part of the seat is fixed, and you sit with your knees up, almost like a Formula-1 driver, the seats also have the 5-point racing harness, instead of a 3-point safety belt, which makes it more driver-focused, the driver’s display is the huge pixelated display, instead of a digital screen, but the infotainment system has been kept digital, attached with the steering column to give it a floating look, the seeing wheel is of a rectangular shape with driver-specific controls and knobs, and you also get some space at the rear, where Mercedes-Benz has designed the spot with belts to fit its custom luggage or a duffle bag or a golf club bag.
Whilst the Vision One-Eleven concept is designed to inspire future Mercedes-Benz models, so instead of an IC engine, it is powered by an electric battery pack combined with 4 YASA Axial-Flux electric motors placed on each wheel, which can put out a total output of 1,300hp, the YASA Axial-Flux electric motors are found in several modern Mercedes-AMG models, which help them to lose some weight than their regular variants and the use of these motors also help the One-Eleven concept to be lightweight.
Well, as the original C111, the Vision One-Eleven is a design study to inspire Merdes-Benz designers for their upcoming models, but if it went into production, the direct rival of the Vision One-Eleven Concept could be the Porsche Mission X, which was recently revealed as a celebration of Porsche’s 75 years of success.
