The mighty Mercedes-Benz V12 engine has powered many cars in its day. These include the CLK-GTR race entries at Le Mans, and every single version of the Pagani Zonda. There is another vehicle that borrowed the hallowed 6,0-litre M120 though. It goes by the name Isdera Commendatore 112i.  Technically, it was a concept and a prototype at the same time, and unfortunately no more were destined to roll off the line.

It’s quite fitting that the one-of-one Commendatore used a Mercedes engine because it also boasted ‘gullwing’ doors like the original 300SL that was known colloquially as the Gullwing.

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OEM-backed Project

The company that put it together famously used parts from a number of OEM suppliers. Mercedes-Benz hadn’t yet started making manual gearboxes to mate with its V12 motor, preferring the luxury of automatic transmissions. Isdera had to turn to German transmission firm Getrag for a five-speed manual. Supercar manufacturer RUF modified it to add a sixth cog by to handle the powerplant’s 300 kW. The Isdera also copied the pop-up headlamps from the Porsche 968 and the instrument cluster is definitely out of the Mercedes-Benz parts bin.

It might not be much by modern standards, but 300 kW was a solid figure 30 years ago, especially considering that the Commendatore’s slippery styling gave it a very low (for the time) drag coefficient of 0,306. Everything on the car was designed to add more speed. Just check out the longtail design.

Innovative

It even had a periscope-style rear view mirror mounted in the middle of the cockpit, and which rose atop the roof, and a specially designed single windshield wiper to handle higher speed. This attention to detail allowed the Commendatore to manage 340 km/h in the Mercedes-Benz wind tunnel.

Company founder Eberhard Schulz had worked for Mercedes-Benz. There he oversaw the birth of innovative new prototypes, including multiple versions of the C111, but Mercedes decided against production. Schulz joined Porsche’s design and development team in 1971. He spent the next decade at Porsche, before starting his own firm Isdera in 1982.

One-of-a-kind

The Commendatore debuted at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show as a rolling concept. Schulz intended for it to race at Le Mans, but sadly those ambitions were put to bed. His car did get a starring role in 1997’s Need for Speed II racing video game, however. Sadly, for Schultz and his two sons, the company went bust but not before a Swiss consortium funded the project further to build at least a rolling prototype.

Only one was ever made, and it sold at an auction via RM Sothebys last year for just under R19 million.

Check out other forgotten concepts in this series by clicking the links below:

Ford GT90

Dodge Copperhead

Volkswagen W12