Showdown In Nardo - W 201 / 201 H

What happened in August 1983 in the South of Italy?

It was all perfectly timed: a final development test run for the new vehicle concept and marketing measures at the same time — just roughly four weeks after the record-breaking drive, the company first presented the new 2.3-16 to the public at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt am Main in September 1983.

But first things first. At the beginning of 1983, the motor press was rumoring that there would probably never be a Mercedes-Benz with the cryptic designation 2.3-16 on the rear lid, even though they had just seen spy pictures of a prototype in the wild at Sierra Nevada in Spain. The 2.3-16 was originally not planned to happen — Erich Waxenberger (Head of the Rally and Motorsport Department in the early 1980s) wanted to win the International Rally World Championship again after several hard-fought rallies in the late 1970s with the 450 SLC and 450 SLC 5.0 (both C 107). Audi had just invented the AWD Quattro Coupé, and there was a rivalry. As the number one driver, Daimler-Benz eventually put Walter Röhrl under contract. The initial plan was to use a 500 SL Rally (R 107), but the overall performance was not what the world championship rally driver was used to driving. The rest is history; the rally pro never raced officially in a Mercedes-Benz. 

The special development department considered a shorter and more agile 190 version for use as a rally car, but these plans had yet to see the light of day. However, the techniques did, and the concept of Mercedes-Benz was a long time ahead of the rival from Munich. The BMW M3 launched years later. Against all resistance (including from the company management back then), the project of a modern, compact, high-performance car was put in place with no real competition to fear at the time – or at least that was the case in the first few years.

Getting back to the tarmac in Nardò, to identify the teams at any time during the laps, the cars were given a color code (green, red, and white). The fastest of the three Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 covered 50,000 kilometers (31068.56 miles) in 201 hours, 39 minutes, and 43 seconds; the average speed was 247.9 km per hour (154 mph). In addition to this incredible performance, the trio set two other world records over 25,000 km (15,534.28 miles) and nine class records. During the day in August, the outside temperature in Nardò is well over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), and the sun heats up the asphalt, the cabin temperature gets easily to up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit)  — additional stress for man and machine. (The test cars did not have air conditioning onboard.)

At the presentation, several birds were killed with one stone, and the unavoidable test trials were combined with a prestigious world record hunt. On one hand, the new concept was tested for resilience under the toughest conditions, while on the other hand, its robustness and reliability were emphasized—so it almost seems like a side issue that, among other things, three world speed records were set over 25,000 km (15534.28 miles), 25,000 miles, and 50,000 km (31068.56 miles).

The overview of the achieved records:

25,000 km – 247,094 km/h (153.53mph)

25,000 miles – 247,749 km/h (153.94 mph)

50,000 km – 247,939 km/h (154.06 mph)

1,000 km – 247,094 km/h (153.53 mph)

1,000 miles – 246,916 km/h (153.42 mph)

5,000 km – 246.914 km/h (153.42 mph)

5,000 miles – 246,729 km/h (153.31 mph)

10,000 km – 246.829 km/h (153.37 mph)

10,000 miles – 246, 839 km/h (153.37 mph)

6 hours – 246.798 km/h (153.35 mph)

12 hours – 246.628 km/h (153.24 mph)

24 hours – 246.713 km/h (153.30 mph)

The Nardò cars were declared test vehicles but were largely the same as the series vehicles that were later freely available (European specifications).

The following deviations were implemented for the speed record runs:

• Rear axle ratio i=2.65 instead of i=3.07 (series)

• Modified camshaft

• No reverse gear

• Hydraulic suspension level control on all wheels (lowered vehicle 30 mm)

• No center silencer

• Special racing tires from Pirelli (semi-slicks)

• Different front spoiler

• No electric fan installed for the engine

• Headlight protection covers (during the day) and insect screen for

the radiator grille

• No power steering

•Top speed: 261 km/h (over 162 mph)

• Tank capacity: 160 liters (over 42 gallons)

In addition to Erich Waxenberger, employees from the testing department of Daimler-Benz AG served as drivers on these runs. Thanks to the various test flights carried out with the C111-III, -IV and -V in Nardò regularly since 1976, the team had almost established a routine.

The powerhouse is a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine based on the then-newly introduced M102 engine family, which features a four-valve alloy cylinder head developed by engine specialist Cosworth (UK), equipped with components such as a tubular exhaust manifold and direct air intake. The 132 kW (185 hp) power unit weighs just 167 kilograms (just over 368 pounds). The fuel consumption was more than reasonable over the race distance and was slightly over 22 liters per 100 kilometers (around 10.69 mpg). Mind you, this was at a constant 5,000 rpm for the motor and high air temperatures. An interesting point is that fully synthetic engine oil from Shell TMO was used (this oil was also the first-fill oil for Porsche's 911 models at the time). This emphasizes that these engines were designed to use fully synthetic engine oil.

The aerodynamic components attached to the body not only improved the styling and appearance of the car (Daimler-Benz marketing even spoke at the time of “increased elegance through unobtrusive and attractive dynamic lines and the extensive use of new materials instead of classic chrome”), but also significantly reduced air resistance and enhanced driving characteristics at high speeds.

The details (compared to a base 190 E):

• Front axle lift improved by approx. 45%

• Rear axle lift improved by approx. 40%

• Cd value improved by approx. 3%

• Cd value of only 0.32

In addition to the world record attempts monitored by FIA commissioners and the pure material testing, traffic psychology studies were also the focus of this long-distance test. For the first time, values of the driver's stress under precisely defined conditions, and thus meaningful results, could be determined — this was carried out by the Berlin research group, which also invented the famous (and first) Mercedes-Benz driving simulator at the time. During the world record runs, the normal care and maintenance services were observed according to the regulations, including adjusting the valve clearance. Mind you, such a complete maintenance service was carried out by the pit crew within about five minutes, including oil and filter changes. It was as impressive then as it is now.

One moment of shock; even though the vehicles were carrying the most common wear parts in accordance with the regulations, including the engine cooler, shock absorber strut, and ignition distributor, a distributor’s finger was missing from the parts inventory on board. This component is usually very reliable, but in the vehicle of the green team, this tiny part broke during the record run. With great improvisation, the technicians and engineers managed to restore the ignition concern. Even the damage to the underbody from the collision with a fox could not stop the green 190 E 2.3-16.

All three vehicles finally reached the finish line successfully. The order was red, white, and then green. The motor press often referred to the new sporty little Mercedes-Benz as the “Sport Mercedes” and later simply called it the “Sixteen-valve." At the time, this was almost sacrilegious for the managers in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim. Today, the green team car is on display in the Mercedes-Benz Museum.