Rare Car Archive

Makes › Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft Germany › Mercedes › Mercedes 79/200 hp one-off (airship engine) · Prototype · 1915 One-off

Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft
Mercedes 79/200 hp one-off (airship engine)

One-off with a 20.5-litre six-cylinder Daimler L1676 airship engine, ordered via the Italian agent; registered in Turin 1921 – singled out by Mercedes-Benz as the outstanding single-unit car of the era

Still being researched: identification guide, full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.

IDENTIFICATION CARD · DAIMLER-MOTOREN-GESELLSCHAFT MERCEDES 79/200 HP ONE-OFF (AIRSHIP ENGINE) 1915
No licensed photograph yet. Photographs are published only when their licence permits it.
1BuiltFactory reported
0Chassis documentedin this archive
?SurvivingNot yet verified
Contents
  1. 01Overview
  2. 02Production & history
  3. 03Specifications
  4. 04Colours & options
  5. 05Individual cars
  6. 06Reference

01Overview

At a glance

Built
1 Built
Years
1915
Engine
20,500 cc / 20.5 LFactory: 20,500 cc
Power
149 kW / 203 PSFactory: 200 hp · converted
Top speed
Not yet verified
Body
Not yet verified
Designer
Not yet verified
In this archive
Not yet verified
Surviving
Not yet verified

Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.

Why it matters

A one-off experimental car in which DMG installed a six-cylinder airship engine, built to order for a sporting enthusiast in Italy. It is the large-engine extreme of the factory's test and single-unit production.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Model rarityOne-off 1 · Built1,2
Specification rarityNot yet assessed
Colour rarityNot yet assessed
Individual rarityNot yet assessed
Historical rarityNot yet assessed
Survival rarityNot yet assessed

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

02Production & history

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

What is countedFigureBasisStatus
Total model productiononly one known to have been created (three reportedly projected) 11,2 Factory production Factory reported

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The archive lists the 79/200 hp among the experimental cars and single-unit productions made between 1907 and 1920 and dates its production to 1915. It was specially built for an enthusiast with sporting ambitions in Italy and was chain driven.

Variants

How each version differs from the standard Mercedes 79/200 hp one-off (airship engine).

No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

03Specifications

Technical specifications

Engine

Engine familyNot yet verified
Engine codeDaimler airship engine1
LayoutNot yet verified
Cylinders61
Displacement 20,500 cc / 20.5 LFactory: 20,500 cc1
Bore 160 mmFactory: 160 mm1
Stroke 170 mmFactory: 170 mm1
Compression ratioNot yet verified
Fuel systemNot yet verified
Power 149 kW / 203 PSFactory: 200 hp · converted1Rating: manufacturer
Power atNot yet verified
TorqueNot yet verified

Transmission & drivetrain

GearboxChange-speed gear, chain drive1
GearsNot yet verified
Driven wheelsRear wheels1

Chassis, body & dimensions

ChassisNot yet verified
Front suspensionNot yet verified
Rear suspensionNot yet verified
BrakesNot yet verified
SteeringNot yet verified
Body constructionNot yet verified
WheelbaseNot yet verified
LengthNot yet verified
WidthNot yet verified
HeightNot yet verified
Front trackNot yet verified
Rear trackNot yet verified
Kerb weightNot yet verified
Dry weightNot yet verified

Performance

Maximum speedNot yet verified
0–100 km/hNot yet verified
Fuel tankNot yet verified

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

04Colours & options

Factory colours & interiors

Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Factory options & codes

Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

05Individual cars

Chassis register

Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Competition history

Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Auction & sale history

Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

See one in person

Museums where an example of this car can be seen.

No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

06Reference

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

  1. 1
    Mercedes 79/200 hp, 1915 Level A Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Mercedes-Benz Public Archive (Classic M@RS)
    • Units produced : 1
    • Engine type: Daimler airship engine
    • Number of cylinders 6
    • Total displacement 20500 cc
    • Bore x Stroke 160 x 170 mm
    • Rated output 200 hp
    • Drivetrain chains; change-speed gear
    • Driven wheels rear wheels
    Accessed 2026-11-12
  2. 2
    Karl Ludvigsen, 'Lost SuperCar', The Star (MBCA) 9-10/2020 Level C
    • 1 only one known to have been created (three reportedly projected)
    Accessed 2026-11-12

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