Mercedes Benz T80

3D Model

The T80 is a six-wheeled vehicle built by Mercedes-Benz developed in the late 1930s. It was intended to break the world land speed record, but never made the attempt, due to the project having been overtaken by the outbreak of WW2. The massive 44.5 litre Daimler-Benz DB 603 inverted V12 was selected to power the record-setting car. The engine was an increased displacement derivative of the famous DB-601 aircraft engine that powered the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter in production at the time, with the DB 603 ending up as the largest displacement inverted V12 aviation engine in production for Germany during the WW2 years. The DB-603 fitted was just the third prototype (V3) engine of this variant and tuned up to 3,000 hp (2,237 kW; 3,042 PS), roughly twice the power of the Bf 109. The engine ran on a special mixture of methyl alcohol (63%), benzene (16%), ethanol (12%), acetone (4.4%), nitrobenzene (2.2%), avgas (2%), and ether (0.4%) with (methanol-water) injection for charge cooling and as an anti-detonant.