The International Motor Show in Frankfurt am Main is the venue for the debut of the Mercedes-Benz C 111 experimental car, which is fitted with a 280 hp / 206 kW three-rotor Wankel engine and a plastic body. Other new arrivals include the passenger car models 300 SEL 3.5 (W 109) and the 280 SE 3.5 Coupé and Convertible (W 111), all powered by a 3.5-litre M 116 V8 engine developing 200 hp / 147 kW. The electrically-driven OE 302 test bus also celebrates its premiere. The electric motor is fed by a battery charged by a diesel generator set – an early example of hybrid drive technology. Daimler-Benz presents the first automatic transmission for commercial vehicles at the show: the W 3 D 080 three-speed automatic transmission with torque converter, offered as special equipment for urban buses. The new long-haul trucks LP 1632 and LP 2032 introduce the hydraulically tilting cab to the truck range. They are powered by the entirely new V10 diesel engine OM 403. The 320 hp / 235 kW direct injection unit is the first model of the new OM 400 V-engine family. The Unimog range gets a new 100 hp / 74 kW flagship model in the form of the U 100 road tractor from the 416 series.
