Update: As we had been writing this text, Mercedes-Benz dropped one other teaser confirming a brand new C 111 idea is coming. A brief video reveals a digital grille that illuminates with the phrases one eleven spreading between spherical headlights.

 

Something is brewing at Mercedes-Benz, and it is associated to the household of C 111 idea vehicles from the automaker’s previous. Shared right this moment on Mercedes’ social media channels, we’re handled to a pair of photographs displaying some digital lights with spherical shapes and a curious shade of orange. And that is not all.

First, we direct your consideration to the Mercedes-Benz Instagram account. One photograph reveals a spherical digital headlight in an oval grille, with the opposite displaying a spherical taillight. Of explicit curiosity for the entrance photograph is what’s behind the grille. We’re used to seeing various levels of silver or grey from Mercedes however that is clearly an orange header with a hood line seen simply behind. The coloration is a clue, because it appears to be like very near the shade used on the early C 111 prototypes. As for the spherical lights in an oval body, there is a robust resemblance to the C 111/II, the second and arguably most well-known of the collection that debuted in 1970.

 

Without extra context, a C 111 reference to these teaser photographs can be tough to justify. However, Mercedes-Benz lately shared a number of photographs of the basic C 111/II on its social channels main as much as this teaser publish, and a few of these have very comparable angles to the teaser headlights and taillights. This cannot be a coincidence.

And then we now have the coup de grace for this teaser marketing campaign, coming not from the automaker immediately however slightly, from Mercedes-Benz Chief Design Officer Gorden Wagener. He additionally shared photographs of the outdated C 111 on social, then dropped a teaser of his personal whereas flat-out saying “The timeless C 111 is ready to inspire a new era of iconic luxury.”

 

 

Wagener’s publish provides a 3rd teaser picture to the combination, and it is one which leaves us with some questions. We see what seems to be H 243 lit up in a taillight housing. H243 is the generational code for the Mercedes-Benz EQA. Could this imply a brand new C 111 idea is coming that comes with points of the EQA into its design? Or does this designation imply one thing else?

For these nonetheless sussing out precisely what the C 111 is, Mercedes-Benz launched a cool orange sports activities automotive idea known as the C 111 in 1969. It was powered by a rotary engine, and in 1970 a follow-up known as the C 111/II debuted. It’s the idea most frequently seen in photographs, however the C 111 story does not finish there. A dozen C 111/II take a look at vehicles had been constructed, ending with a turbo diesel changing the Wankel engine. Things obtained loopy after that with the C 111/III getting a radical aerodynamic physique and a extra highly effective diesel engine for excessive speeds. The closing idea was the C 111/IV in 1979, packing a twin-turbo V8 and a 250-mph high velocity.

Are we on the cusp of seeing the C 111/V with an electrical powertrain? Based on these teasers, it is secure to say one thing is coming and we could have all the knowledge as quickly as Mercedes sees match to share it with the world. Stay tuned.