How To Turn The Mercedes S-Class Into A F1 Car

Jan. 16, 2021 12:01 PM ET by Michael Butler Design / 10 Comments

This is one serious project.

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been a leader in the luxury-sedan market for decades and continues to dominate with the latest S-Class coming packed with a dizzying amount of standard tech while still being a decent performer. Pricing for the 2021 range has recently been announced, and while most of us will cringe at the figures, to some it is merely a jumping-off point: in the following video, we can follow a team of mechanics and designers as they convert a Mercedes-Benz S-Class into an F1 car. Late-stage capitalism is awesome!

This video is part one of what will be a pretty lengthy series and takes the viewer through some of the basic ideas behind the build. The donor car for this project is a 2005 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and as the presenter notes, not much of it will be getting used. The main area of interest is the M113 engine. The 5.0-liter V8 weighs under 400 pounds, and with the right modifications, will make big power. The plan is to completely strip the engine down to the block, and then start the rebuilding process, including new internals and the addition of two turbochargers.

The idea is to replicate the 2019 Mercedes F1 car as closely as possible. XF Motorsport is aiming to build a car that weighs around 800 kg and will try to replicate all the aero parts in fine detail. The car will roll on 18-inch wheels to allow for a decent braking system, and besides a slight bulge in the rear (where the V8 will hide), the rest of the dimensions will be a carbon copy. This car will obviously do without a complicated hybrid system, which simplifies things and keeps costs down. Power will be sent to the rear via a CD09 sequential Nissan transmission. The tube-steel chassis will provide excellent rigidity, and the suspension setup will also stay true to the original F1 setup. This is not your average backyard build, and we can't wait to see how it progresses.

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Tags: #Mercedes-Benz News #Design #Motorsport #Video

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