Mercedes-Benz T80 "Schwarzer Vogel", 1939
Spark MiniMax S1034
The Mercedes-Benz T80 is a one-off racing car created in 1939 to set the World Speed Record on the ground. But in connection with the outbreak of World War II, not a single attempt was made. The engine for the car was borrowed from the Messerschmitt Bf 109 aircraft. The twelve-cylinder V-shaped Daimler-Benz DB 603 had a volume of 44.5 liters. and had a capacity of 3000 hp. The engine ran on a mixture of methyl alcohol (63%), benzene (16%), ethyl alcohol (12%), acetone (4.4%), nitrobenzene (2.2%), aviation kerosene (2%) and ether ( 0.4%) and had methanol-water cooling. The engine was installed in the center of the car body and transmitted torque to the two rear axles. The mass of the car was 2900 kg.
The aerodynamics of the car were worked out by Josef Mickl, who invented and later patented the fenders on the sides, and Ferdinand Porsche, who designed the cockpit and forked tail section. As a result of their labor, the drag coefficient was only 0.18.
Initially, in 1937, the body was designed for a speed of 550 km / h, in 1938 it was announced that it was necessary to accelerate to 600 km / h. By the end of 1939, world renowned German race car driver Hans Stuck announced that the car would set a world record with a top speed of 750 km / h.
The tests were scheduled for January 1940 and were to take place on a special section of the Dessau Autobahn. Before the tests, the car was to be presented to Hitler. To do this, they were going to repaint it in the nationalist colors of Germany and decorate with an eagle and a swastika, for which it was nicknamed "Schwarz Vogel". But the outbreak of the war put an end to the car. He was evacuated to Carinthia, and the engine was removed and put on the plane. The T80 is now on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.