- Retro Design
- LED Pixel Lighting
- Space-Age Interior
- Virtual Reality Vision Removes Blind Spots
- Hypercar-Level Powertrain
Remember the iconic Mercedes-Benz C 111 concept of the 1970s? Meet its 21st-century counterpart.
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the Vision One-Eleven concept car, which it says is a progressive interpretation of the iconic C 111 experimental vehicles the Germans built in the 1960s and 1970s. We'll get to the details momentarily but its effectively a gullwing-doored electric supercar with next-gen motor technology capable of nearly 2,000 horsepower.
While the C 111 is perhaps best known for being equipped with experimental engines (rotary and turbodiesel), there's more to the classic concept than just power. Mercedes also used C 111 prototypes to test polymer-based bodyshells, and the engineers went through three design phases the create the famous orange and black supercar with gullwing doors we know and love.
“Our goal at Mercedes-Benz is not to do styling – our goal is to create icons,” explains Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer, Mercedes-Benz Group. “Design icons like the Type 300 SL and C 111 – both with gullwing doors – are part of our DNA. These legendary vehicles were major inspirations for the iconic design of the Mercedes-Benz Vision One-Eleven.”
Retro Design
The Vision One-Eleven is essentially a blend of a classic iconic concept and Merc's new One-Bow design language that debuted on the EQS Sedan, characterized by a cab-forward design possible only thanks to electrification. Hopefully, some of Vision One-Eleven's more aggressive design elements will find their way onto upcoming Mercedes EVs, as the current one-bow EQ models look like boiled eggs.
Vision One-Eleven has a smooth bow accentuated by a low front end and a muscular rear end. The concept is just 46 inches tall. We love how the wheel arches extend above the primary convex design line. It's almost as if the smooth body had to be stretched to cover those massive wheels.
The orange hue is an obvious throwback to the C 111, but it's not an exact match. Vision One-Eleven is painted deep orange with a hint of copper, and the color changes depending on light and angle.
LED Pixel Lighting
The front has a striking resemblance to the C 111, incorporating most of the design features of the classic, apart from the pop-up headlamps, which are, sadly, no longer legal. Instead of an air intake flanked by two foglamps, the One-Eleven has a digital insert that can illuminate LEDs in a pattern resembling old fog lights. According to Merc, this panel can display messages to other road users.
Mercedes kept the lower air intakes flanking the famous star, nestled quite prominently below the contrasting black air intakes on the hood.
The rear has a digital display with pixelated brake lights and two prominent diffusers. Mercedes also illuminated the inner faces of the wheels, so the blue LEDs are visible from the rear.
Space-Age Interior
Mercedes says One-Eleven is the first sports car with a lounge interior. It's a sign of things to come as Mercedes works away at perfecting autonomous driving. It was one of the first manufacturers to get to Level 3, and the next big step will see drivers taking their hands off the wheel for extended periods.
To that end, the car has a Race Mode; in this mode, the backrest is upright, and the interior only displays a compact driver-oriented touchscreen. In Lounge Mode, the seats are fully integrated into the interior sculpture, one large unit consisting of a center tunnel and luggage compartment. This allows the driver and passenger to relax when the car is driving itself.
Mercedes borrowed elements of the seating from its Formula 1 team. The seat cushions are flush-fit to the floor and boast four-point harnesses. But unlike an F1 car, the backrest can be adjusted if you feel like resting when the vehicle takes over.
The interior is clad in materials mostly made from 100% recycled polyester. It's not entirely vegan, however. We're not sure how many cows had to shuffle off this mortal coil to clad the One-Eleven's innards, but at least Mercedes says the leather was sustainably sourced and tanned using coffee bean husks.
We're guessing it means the cow in question had a great life roaming around in an Austrian field. Said cow can also take solace in the fact that his hide was stained in an equally environmentally-friendly manner.
As usual, the interior is equipped with screens, but with a twist. There's a high-definition screen for the typical interior features like the HVAC and infotainment, and above that is a large dot matrix-like LED panel. We dig the old-school vibe but think it's one of those things that won't age well.
At least Mercedes is showing us that there are more exciting solutions than simply slapping a screen on every single open surface.
Virtual Reality Vision Removes Blind Spots
Looking at the One-Eleven from the side, you soon realize that visibility will be a problem. The seat is extremely low, and the driver sits far from the front. To get around this problem, Mercedes has two solutions. The first is state-of-the-art glass which is opaque from the outside but transparent from the inside.
The other solution is extremely cool: augmented reality goggles while driving. The Magic Leap 2 augmented reality headset provides the driver with a high-definition digital feed that removes the vehicle's extremities. The system places the driver at the car's center with a 180-degree view. While wearing the goggles, you can look around the cabin, and the goggles will display a virtual view of the physical elements you can still interact with.
This technology will feel extremely unnatural to older drivers, but it will be interesting to see whether this concept is developed further.
Hypercar-Level Powertrain
Looking at the One-Eleven from the side, two things stand out. First, you have the flush-fit gullwing doors, which are a throwback to the Type 300 SL and C 111.
But the undisputed highlight is the all-new high-performance YASA (a Mercedes-owned subsidiary) axial-flux motor and liquid-cooled cylindrical-cell battery, designed in partnership with Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrain in Brixworth, England – the folks behind the AMG One engine and Mercedes F1 powertrains.
The YASA motor is the one component guaranteed to appear in future Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles. It is a third of the size and weight of a conventional radial flux motor and small enough to be mounted within the wheel. The Vision One-Eleven has “up to four” of these, and since each produces 480 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, it has up to 1,920 hp and 2,360 lb-ft of torque.
Theoretically, an AWD Mercedes electric hypercar will be more powerful than the Rimac Nevera, which recently reset the concept of fast. While we don't see the One-Eleven going into production, we look forward to Mercedes once again shifting the boundaries for what we consider fast.
The question is whether Mercedes would consider building another high-end hypercar like the One. Even though it smashed the Nurburgring record, the people behind the One have already stated that they'd never tackle a project like this again. Fitting an F1 engine in a road-legal car is a tough ask, but the car gods bless Mercedes-AMG for doing it.
An all-electric hypercar would be easier to develop, and it will provide Merc with a rival for the Porsche Mission X, which, in production-spec, will be a full-blown all-electric 918 successor.
Keyword: Mercedes-Benz Vision One-Eleven Has Up To 1,920 HP And Gullwing Doors