1966 Mercedes – Benz SLX Prototype

The 1965 design study was by Mercedes-Benz stylists Giorgio Battistella and Paul Bracq, who worked feverishly on a mid-engined super sports car in the mid-1960s. Internally known as the SLX, the design study was realised in the spring of 1966 as a 1:1 scale wooden model and underwent testing in a wind tunnel.

Apparently, a last-gasp attempt to help the board entertain the idea of a mid-engined halo car took place in 1966 when a full-scale wooden model was built. The model featured no interior and nor were there any details about an engine.

Sadly, those in charge were less than satisfied with the appearance of the SLX and Bracq had to move on to bigger things, namely sedans. Perhaps the results of at least one stint in the wind tunnel didn’t help either.

It exuded the classic design spirit of the 1960s. The prototype illustrated just how important the creative development step was to the C 111, which was presented only three years later. The designers behind Bruno Sacco and Josef Gallitzendörfer totally revamped the Mercedes-Benz design idiom with the sensational Wankel sports car.