Mercedes-Benz C 111

A comprehensive, insider history of the C 111, the most famous Mercedes never produced. 




In March 1969, the news that Daimler-Benz was developing a Wankel rotary-engine sports car hit like a bomb. Six months later, the C 111, with its fascinating design and brilliant driving performance, was the undisputed star of the Frankfurt International Motor Show. The new super sports car was immediately regarded as a worthy successor to the legendary 300 SL.
Despite tremendous interest, Mercedes never put the vehicle into full production. Various C 111s appeared over the next decade, featuring different engines, tweaked aerodynamics, and other modern developments. Mercedes used the platform to chase records and test new technologies.



Based on access to Mercedes-Benz past and present personnel and the extensive holdings of the Mercedes-Benz Group Archives, this is an authoritative history of the C 111 program.




 • 520 pages that include more than 1,100 photos and diagrams, many of which have never left the Mercedes archives until now.


• Features previously unpublished info and interviews with the people behind the car.

• Documents the development of the C 111 in great detail and in depth for the first time.

• Also comprehensively documented is the Vision
One-Eleven show car. Inspired by the C 111 and unveiled in June 2023, it reinterprets the brand icon of the 1970s with breathtaking design
and innovative drive technology. 




This authoritative history was made possible through the support of Mercedes-Benz Classic, which granted access to the Mercedes-Benz Group Archives, the C 111 cars in the company's collection, and contemporary witnesses who formed the development in the 1960s and 1970s.