<VV> Mercedes-Benz 300SL (Corvair)

[jvhroberts at aol.com]

 In all fairness to MB, their particular rear suspension was the low pivot swing axle, where the pivot point was a single, centrally located point located just below the bottom of the differential. This was about as good as one can make a swing axle suspension, and it was pretty good! Had pair of coil springs in the usual location, and a single coil spring located over the differential horizontally acting essentially like the transverse leaf on the 64s. 
The diff, if memory serves, was located on the left axle half. Meaning, driveshaft torque would be applied to that half of the axle only. 
A curious and interesting design, to be sure. Not in any way adaptable to a Corvair, however. Not very similar, if you saw it first hand either. 

 

John Roberts
 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Rodney Spooner <rodneyspooner at corvairgarage.com>
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
Sent: Tue, Aug 17, 2010 11:39 pm
Subject: <VV> Mercedes-Benz 300SL  (Corvair)


 



I just ran across this nice little gem in an article "Greatest Car -

Mercedes-Benz 300SL" from the editors of Driving Today.



http://driving.myfoxwausau.com/greatest/MB300SL/



Here's a snippet.



".Uhlenhaut's engineering ace in the hole was an independent rear

suspension. By 1952, many racing cars and not a few passenger cars were

fitted with an independent front suspension. Since that end of the car

didn't involve the transmission of power from engine to wheels, the shift

from a beam axle to an independent set-up could be made fairly easily. But

designing a workable independent rear suspension that could accommodate

power delivery while handling all the forces that were applied to racing

wheel/tire combinations was a conundrum. Most of the successful road racers

of the era used a live axle or DeDion set-up.



"Not Mercedes-Benz.The rear suspension the Mercedes-Benz engineers designed

wasn't particularly sophisticated in modern terms. In fact, it was in some

ways similar to the suspension that got the Chevrolet Corvair in so much

trouble with Ralph Nader in the 1960's. It used swing axles, located by

trailing arms, with coils as the springing medium. But this was in 1952, not

1964, and these were racing cars, so the rear suspension proved to be a

handling boon."



Another reason why the Corvair is such a great car.it has a touch of German

engineering. Who knows, maybe if GM had kept it production it would have had

gull wing doors.or lambo doors at least.



 



Rodney



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