Powrót do spisu modeli Opis modelu: Experimental cars C 112, F 100 and F 200 In September 1991 on the IAA in Frankfurt a new sports car was presented in the shape of the experimental vehicle C 112 which was developed as a technology carrier on the basis of the racing car prototype Sauber-Mercedes C 11; It should the technical limits in the field of active safety. The C 112 was driven by a 6-litre V12-engine. Apart from known systems like the ALS, anti-slic control, automatic climate control, and sound system the C 112 was equipped with developments leading the way into the future. Remarkable in this context are not only the ranging radar and the pneumatic pressure-control but also the active aerodynamics, the variable brake-power distribution, the cybernetic rear-axle steering, and the so-called ,Active Body Control (ABC)". Active aerodynamics are guaranteed through two automatic and continuously controllable spoilers, a front-end flat spoiler and a rear wing that pop up within fragments of seconds in fast driven curves in the critical stability limit and make for more stable driving through larger vertical forces of the wheels. Even in emergency stops the rear wing pops up and thus allows considerably higher braking forces, above all at the rear-axle. Corresponding to the varying vertical forces of the wheel the braking pressure at the front and rear wheels is very efficiently controlled through an intelligent system The cybernetic rear-axle control actively intervenes in the control loop driver - vehicle - street. It corrects course deviations caused through external interference like e.g. track grooves, side wind, changing road grip etc.and maintains the driveability the driver is used to even in critical driving situations. The ,active body control" that helps to eliminate unwelcome movements of the vehicle body like e.g. swaying, nodding, and stroke movements is. In itself, the most revolutionary concept of the C 112. The body's individual degrees of freedom can be controlled and adjusted independently from one another..Through this - in contrast to conventional level control systems, the body's parked position becomes load-independent also with regard to roll and pitch angles. Although the new super sports car attracted as much attention as the C 111 twenty-two years earlier, and it was ordered a good many times, its series-production was not taken up. The presentation of the experimental vehicle F 100 that already took place in January nine months earlier on the Detroit Motor Show was not exactly that spectacular but attracted much attention as well.. The vehicle was created through the cooperation of different development and research departments of the Daimler-Benz combine. Mercedes-Benz sketched the extent of the project F 100, the researchers of Mercedes-Benz developed many basically new ideas.. The list of alternative solutions having been realized in the research vehicle F 100, comprises numerous items. In this context one should mention above all the seating arrangement, the safety construction of the passenger's cell, the door conception, new active chassis components, new lamp units, a new wiping system, a new functional monitoring of the instruments, the use of a magnetic card as data carrier as well as new energy sources and driving concepts, a solar roof, and the possible equipment with hydrogen drive or electro-drive with high-energy batteries. Modern orientation-systems support the driver being seated in the middle. Through two cameras and a monitor a good rear-view is facilitated. A traffic-monitoring radar system was fitted in order to monitor the blind spot when changing tracks and the road's course. One of the many innovations was already taken over in series-production: headlights with Xenon-gas discharge lamps, that were presented in the F 100 for the first time and are available on request in the E-class limousines of the construction-series 210 since May 1995 Four months later the improved SL=types and, since June 1996 finally the S=class limousines and CL=coup‚s, too, could be equipped with Xenon-headlights. As a carrier of ideas the F 100 was to demonstrate what can be done within a few years in terms of automotive technology. Thus its task was to serve as a driveable collection of arguments for a progressively conceived future of mobility. The F_200 Imagination concept study presented in October at the 1996 automotive salon in Paris. It is the continuation of the Mercedes-Benz tradition of developing futuristic systems in experimental cars tracing in a combination of numerous innovative functional elements the limits of what may be possible in automotive technology of tomorrow. This study arousing considerable interest of the public was born out of a co-operative project of the departments ,Advance Design", the research institute of Mercedes-Benz and the Advanced Engineering. Among the most spectacular innovations on board the F_200 is a trendsetting driving dynamic system where the driver controls all of the movements of the car with devices called side-sticks that are installed in the door trim panel and central console of the coupe study car. The steering is simply done moving the central side-sticks slightly to the left or the right and braking and acceleration without pedals is just as easily done by moving the stick forward to gather speed and pulling it back to slow down. The driver's commands are transmitted exclusively through electronic technology - a system called by the engineers ,drive-by-wire". The F_200 no longer has only of the conventional control or linkage elements such as the steering wheel, the steering column or pedals. The designers thus had the chance of exploring new possibilities in the arrangement of the interior of the passenger car of tomorrow. The development of the electronic driving dynamic system has proven that the renunciation of mechanic and hydraulic control elements offers several advantages in security, comfort and price calculation. Electronically controlled steering and braking systems as presented in the F_200 allows the realisation of a control system improving considerably the driving safety of future passenger cars. The computer compares the driver's steering orders to programmed set values and ensures the car's tracking stability even in hazardous situations. The driving dynamic system of the F_200 is linked to the active chassis ABC ("Active Body Control") already know from the C_112. It equilibrates the roll behaviour of the cornering body completely and adjusts constantly the car's suspension/damping characteristic to the current driving condition. The innovative headlight technology contributes just as perfectly to the active security: the F_200's lamps with variable dispersion of light adjust automatically to the current driving situation and speed and thus ameliorate the sight in the dark. When cornering, the reflectors follow the angle of approach of the front wheels continually and ensure like this an optimal illumination of the road. In the domain of the passive security the F_200 isn't less a forerunner: with its newly developed airbag system the passenger protection in case of a side impact could be considerably enhanced. The so-called ,window-bag" expands itself after a crash in a matter of milliseconds like an inflatable curtain between the front and the rear roof pillar and protects like this front and rear passengers. It can be seen as an important support of the current side-bag. Another innovative detail is the glass roof structure creating a light and friendly atmosphere in the passenger's cabin. The new kind of electrochrome glass can be darkened, when desired, by simply pressing a button. It thus regulates the inflow of heat into the car's interior. There are all in all four electronic cameras installed in the so very characteristic stainless-steel mouldings on the lateral roof panels replacing the traditional wing mirrors. A fifth camera is mounted in the rear bumper-bar and is automatically activated when the levers are in reverse. The images of this mini-camera are displayed on various screens in the central driving console and inform the driver extensively about the traffic situation behind his car. A new kind of hinged mechanism has been developed for boarding and exiting with hydraulic cylinders moving the doors in an angle of 30_ upwards. The benefit of this kind of doors is on the one hand the larger openings offering the passengers a very smooth and easy boarding and on the other hand the very little demand in space advantageous especially in small parking spots. These doors are operated from the car's interior by buttons and from the exterior by a magnetic card which is automatically in communication with the access system of the car via a radio signal. The systems presented in ,F_200 Imagination" will considerably enhance and refine security and comfort of the future passenger cars. The F_200 offers therefore an outlook on some of the technological milestones of tomorrow and demonstrates furthermore, how technical innovations can open new perspectives in the design of the future high-end models of Mercedes-Benz.