Mercedes F300 Lifejet Concept Car 1997

The Mercedes F300 Lifejet was introduced at 1997 Frankfurt International Motor Show. It is a concept car and a research vehicule for dynamic driving pleasure on three wheels trying to conciliate the cornering dynamics of a motorcycle with the safety of a passenger car.

Three wheels, two seats in tandem and a jet design body are the visual characteristics of the Mercedes F300 Lifejet Concept that is aimed at a market segment which hardly even exist yet, namely the niche between passenger cars and motorcycles.

The Mercedes F300 Lifjet takes its engine and transmission from the A Class Mercedes between the interior compartment and the rear wheel . The 1,6 litre four cylinder produces 102 hp and accelerates the F300 Lifejet from 0 to 100 km/h in just 7,7 seconds. The top speed is claimed at 211 km/h. In the European driving cycle, the engine consumes 5,3 litres of fuel per 100 km.

The Mercedes F300 Lifejet has an aluminium chassis . The chassis weights 89 kg. Access to the cabin is by swivelling door for the driver, a rear swiveling door for the passenger. The removable aluminium and transparent plastic roof is split into two halves.

Headlamps are equipped with automatic cornering control.

The key element of this prototype is the Active Tilt Control technology. This system is based on the lightning fast interaction between electronics, hydraulics and mechanics: sensors register the current driving situation and continuously feed the onboard computer with data indicating the yawing and linear speed of the vehicule, the acceleration, the current steering angle and the position of the hydraulic cylinder which steers the front axle. On the basis of information the computer calculates the necessary angle of body tilt and sends the relevant control signals to the hydraulic system. As a result, the F300 Lifejet adopts a precisely calculated angle of tilt when negotiating bends, which reflects the current driving situation and therefore offers the best possible resistance to overturning. At maximum speed, for example, the Active Tilt Control computer allows only a very small amount of body roll and provides additional stability, but quickly allows the active control system to select a maximum angle of tilt of 30 degrees at non motorway speeds.

By means of this active tilt on bends, the F300 developers were able to compensate a large proportion of the lateral forces which act on the vehicule and affect its resistance to overturning. The centre of gravity is shifted to the inside of the bend, substantially compensating the tendency to overturn and making high cornering speeds possible. The maximum lateral acceleration of the F300 Lifejet is 0,9g - a level normally only reached by experienced motorcyclists. The loads acting on the occupants remain low, however. Owing to the tilting effect on bend, they only need to resist the centrifugal forces to a very small extent - an advantage that decisively improves ride comfort.

wallpapers of the Mercedes F300 Lifejet Concept Car 1997