Perhaps the single greatest car to ever wear a Mercedes-Benz badge is the mystical 1995 Lotec (Mercedes Benz) C1000 (VIN 001). The story of the C1000 begins in 1990s when a member of Dubai’s Al Maktoum family contracted Mercedes-Benz & German Sports car manufacturer Lotec to build him the fastest individually owned car in the world. Lotec was founded in 1962 by Kurt Lotterschmid and their initial focus was building racecars (Group 6 & Group C) and providing various racecar modifications. With the C1000 being their first ever bespoke project, work on the car commenced in 1991 & wasn’t completed until 1995 after a build cost of around a few million dollars. Lotec engineered the car with a full carbon fiber body and Group C carbon fiber chassis, which allowed the total weight only to be 2,381lbs. The exterior of the C1000 is a mixture of both sharp lines and smooth lines, while the interior was a rather simple design with only a handful of guages, buttons and switches. Also inside the cabin is an ASHS (Automatic Sixpoint Harness System), automatic fire extinguishing system, a fully integrated roll cage structure, a video reverse device, and many more technological innovations. Perhaps the most interesting element to the C1000 was the fact that it was built to accommodate for operation using a mixture of unleaded gas & aviation fuel. When the car was originally fitted with its 1000hp Mercedes-Benz twin-turbo 5.6L V8 engine, initial tests were successfully carried out at the Zeltweg motor-racing circuit. The C1000 has traded hands numerous times over the years such as being auctioned by Barret-Jackson in 2006, being listed on eBay by a dealer located in Georgia, being offered in North Carolina at RK Motors Collectors Car Auctions in 2013 and eventually offered by Lamborghini Carolinas in 2015. As of today, the car’s most recent appearance/destination has been with the incredible team at @wearecurated before joining @ccol10’s incredible collection!
How many made? 1 of 1.
Engine: Mercedes-Benz twin-turbo 5.6L V8 engine producing 1,000hp
Debut: n/a
Top Speed: 268mph (claimed)
0-60: 3.2 seconds (claimed)
Photo Credit: @lambolog
Research: @rarecarsonly