Mercedes C112

Mercedes created the C112 as a test bed for a number of active systems that they were looking to place on their road going cars. Although a number of the systems were not used for many years.

They choose a high powered test bed which utilised their 6.0-litre V12 engine, it developed 300 kW (408 hp) and peak torque of 580 Nm.

The major systems tested on this vehicle were:

• Active Body Control

This was designed to control the vehicles stability through a combination of active springs and hydraulics at each wheel, plus sensors that monitor the vehicle’s movements. The vehicles computer assesses the information from the sensors and adjusts the suspension accordingly.

• Other systems

The most recent updates in anti-locking braking (ABS) and anti-skid control system (ASR) which split the braking pressure between the front and rear wheels

• Active Aerodynamics

This was provided through the cars front spoiler and rear wing which could be moved to ensure the optimum combination of low drag and high downforce. The rear wing was also used to imporve the cars braking in emergency situations. Although this was not seen in production until the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

Even though Mercedes received a large number of orders for the car it never went into production.