W116 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Rallye Car

S-Class W116 350SE Rally Car
Five photos below optimized for 800 x 600 screen resolution........154KB...........Updated June 17th 99

Photo: Fischer Additional preparation for the web by MBEP webmaster

Full blast on a German military training area in 1985.
The car was raced in the 1985 and 1986 rally season at national German events. In the rear left window you can see the rear of the the driver`s full harness seat belt.
The car had the normal V8 engine with 205hp at 5750rpm, but was lightened so much the power to weight ratio was nearly the same as with the 286hp 450SEL 6.9.
Oh and YES - it HAD automatic transmission and power steering...
...not to forget the wood on the dashboard...

Photo: Fischer Photo text and add. prep. for the web by MBEP webmaster

	Rear bumper and chrome trim were removed to save weight - these things ARE heavy! Even the rear door handles were removed as were the rear seats, the floor carpets etc. pp. to get a good power to weight ratio.
Photo: Fischer Photo text and additional preparation for the web by MBEP webmaster

Front modifications include removed bumper, standard grille substituted by a custom-made metal one, four added headlights and custom-made undershield. Also note that there`s only one windshield wiper left which bears a hose for the washing water.
The roll-over cage inside the cabin was hand-made by experienced specialists from extremely tight steel, you can see only the diagonal bar between the seats.
The drive for the Hella Twin Tripmaster was a one-off, too.

Photo: Fischer Photo text and additional preparation for the web by MBEP webmaster

Last photo of the car at the day it was sold.

Here you can see the car later had two license plates which were
stipulated by the German authorities.
With taken-off additional headlights the car looked much more tame
than with mounted headlights.
On the passenger`s A-pillar you can see a tube of the rollover cage.
The two black spots on the hood are the sharp-edged hood fasteners covered by thick rubber caps.
Before I forget to tell: I was the co-driver only.

Photo: MBEP webmaster Add. prep. for the web by MBEP webmaster

If you`re a W116 lover I recommend to click on this link where you can see more W116 specialties like limos, station wagons, design studies etc. pp., altogether 26 photos with a total size of 510KB.

Last revised technically: Oct. 25th '99...Visits since March 25th '99..... [Sign Guestbook]
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