Mercedes-Benz ML Racing Buggy
click pic to enlarge
Guy de Wulf reports:
It's José Antonio Villalba who brought money from Mercedes Spain Import to build a buggy in the Groine workshop at Aubiere (Clermont-Ferrand).
José himself is a big Mercedes dealer in Guadalajara!
Champion of Spain in 2002 Rally Raid, first overall with his rented ML430 from Groine, became second overall in 2003 with ML.
So he is anxious to win again, but he needs a faster car! So there it starts!
Groine was delighted to fullfill his dreams, because he too, he wanted to build a buggy, but was short of money.
Lots of pieces are French!
The chassis is Fouquet (tubes), a French racer/builder, a famous one, he and his chassis won a lot of ralleys and endurance races, (he won three times the 24h of Paris 4x4: 2003 with Porsche, 2001 with Audi V8 and the same in 2000). (I'm talking about the chassis, not the man!)
The shock absorbers are from Vincent Coquet. The shock absorbers are interchangeable! Same types front and rear! Mono shocks in front, double shocks in the rear.
The springs are from Eibach, mass production, so no problems for delivery!
Gearbox is a special short one, from Peugeot (505).
Transfer gearbox, Citroen! But only the case is genuine!
All the pignons are from Marrel Pelin, a neighbour from Groine.
And now the german stuff!
Differentials, front and rear are BMW!
Engine: V6 3.2l from Mercedes G-class, with little modification, the oil sump is from an E-class (apparently bigger?) 250hp, 400 Nm from 3000 to 5500 rpm
Radiator ML 500 - position a little leaning above the engine! That's why there is a large air intake above the roof !
The engine too, is a little leaning, 2 degrees to make enough space for the gear.
Brake system from ML with Brembo four piston calipers.
Fuel tanks 2X 120 liters (too small for the Dakar!)
Two extra radiators for transmission and transfer case, oil cooler.
The dashboard is ML (at the demand of José).
The V6 engine in the rear center has sufficient space. The chassis can even accomodate V8s...
Inset 4: Traditional for a buggy, the rear cradle is also used as protection sled due to aluminium sheet fixed under the exhaust.
Inset 5: Traditional also for a Fouquet buggy, this nose gear shelters the front drivetrain and the suspension but also an oil cooler.
Insets 11, 12, 13: Rear lights from the M-Class. The same applies to the front optical block. Admire the finish quality of the assembly!
Inset 14: The large air intake on the roof over the windshield feeds into the ML500 radiator mounted in the rear.
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