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LET ME TELL YOU ‘BOUT THE MOTHER ****ING MERCEDES-BENZ T80
Back in the 1930’s, Germany was all about racing and setting records. Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz were so much faster than everyone else that it had just really become a competition between themselves - and besides just Grand Prix racing, they loved to do world record attempts.
On public roads.
Yep, on the Autobahn.
In 1938, Auto Union and Mercedes got together to **** with the land speed record - because **** you, that’s why - and Rudolf Caracciola managed 268 mph on the Autobahn (the A5). Bernd Rosemeyer was killed trying the same for Auto Union as a result of a crosswind.
Already in development though, was the Mercedes-Benz T80 (which the great Dr. Ferdinand Porsche was brought on board to work on!).
And hold shit christ **** balls.
To start off, they used a specially modified derivative of the famous Mercedes-Benz inverted V12 used in the BF 109 - however instead of the 1350 horsepower available from the aircraft derivative (in 1939 F form) it made 3000 horsepower. Yes, 3000. There were still no seat belts. **** you, that’s why.
The power increases came from a mixture of a special fuel, capacity increase over the DB 601 in the fighter, and methanol-water injection.
But not only is the engine impressive - the chassis is a 6-wheeled, middled engined and four wheel drive! The drum brakes on all 6 wheels are enormous - and the chassis uses oval tubes like on the W125 Grand Prix car, which was very advanced for it’s time.
Even more advanced were the aerodynamics - with a drag coefficient of just 0.18 - which is even lower than any of the famous Alfa Romeo BAT cars, and astounding for 1939 (though another Mercedes-Benz test car of the same era apparently managed a Cd of less than .15) - which allowed it’s top speed to be somewhere in the neighbourhood of 470 miles per hour. Yes, 470 miles an hour. In a car with drum brakes and no seat belts. On a public road (between Halle and Leipzig, now the A9).
BECAUSE **** YOU, THAT’S WHY.