The

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

M120 engine is a

naturally aspirated A naturally aspirated engine, also known as a normally aspirated engine, and abbreviated to N/A or NA, is an internal combustion engine in which air intake depends solely on atmospheric pressure and does not have forced induction through a turboc ...

high-performance

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

piston A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors, hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder (engine), cylinder a ...

V12 engine A V12 engine is a twelve-Cylinder (engine), cylinder Internal combustion engine#Reciprocating engines, piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V engine, V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more c ...

family used in the 1990s and 2000s in Mercedes' flagship models. The engine was a response to BMW's M70 V12 engine, introduced in 1987. While the 5-litre BMW unit developed , Mercedes-Benz upped the ante considerably by creating a 6-litre, engine. The M120 family was built in

Stuttgart, Germany Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

. It has an aluminium

engine block In an internal combustion engine, the engine block is the structure that contains the cylinders and other components. The engine block in an early automotive engine consisted of just the cylinder block, to which a separate crankcase was attach ...

lined with silicon/aluminium. The aluminium

DOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combus ...

cylinder head In a piston engine, the cylinder head sits above the cylinders, forming the roof of the combustion chamber. In sidevalve engines the head is a simple plate of metal containing the spark plugs and possibly heat dissipation fins. In more modern ...

s are 4 valves per cylinder designs. It uses

sequential fuel injection Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines. All co ...

(SFI) and features

forged steel Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which ...

connecting rod A connecting rod, also called a 'con rod', is the part of a reciprocating engine, piston engine which connects the piston to the crankshaft. Together with the crank (mechanism), crank, the connecting rod converts the reciprocating motion of the p ...

s. The M120 was eventually replaced by the smaller (5.8 litres), lesser-powered, short-lived,

SOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combus ...

, three valves per cylinder M137 V12 engine. Mercedes ceased production of the M120 because of new emission rules.

E60

This engine developed and of torque for the 6.0 L version. In 1992 only, the M120 engine was offered in North America in format and from 1991-92 in Europe. All other years (1993–1999) have the version. Applications: * 1991–1998 600 SE / 600 SEL / S 600 (W140) * 1992–1999 600 SEC / S 600 Coupé / CL 600 (C140) * 1992–2001 600 SL / SL 600 (R129) * 1991 C112 Concept * 2004

Chrysler ME-412 The Chrysler ME Four-Twelve is an American high-performance concept car that was engineered, developed and produced by Chrysler in 2004. The ME Four-Twelve name is a combination of the Mid-Engine with Four turbochargers on a Twelve cylinder engin ...

* 1993

Isdera Commendatore 112i The Isdera Commendatore 112i is a concept car conceived and developed by the German low-volume automobile manufacturer Isdera. Introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show#1993, 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show, the 112i featured a compact and sleek aerodynami ...

* 2005

Laraki Borac Laraki Automobiles SA is a Moroccan manufacturer of high-performance sports cars based in Casablanca, Morocco. The company was established in 1999 by Abdeslam Laraki, a Moroccan designer and entrepreneur with a background in yacht design and indu ...

* 2003

Laraki Fulgura Laraki Automobiles SA is a Moroccan manufacturer of high-performance sports cars based in Casablanca, Morocco. The company was established in 1999 by Abdeslam Laraki, a Moroccan designer and entrepreneur with a background in yacht design and indu ...

* 2000 Lotec Sirius (with twin-turbo version of M120 engine) * 1996–1999 Mega Monte Carlo * 1992–2000

Mega Track The Mega Track is a supercar manufactured by the French automobile manufacturer Aixam between 1992 and 2000. Only five or six examples were built during this time. Overview The concept of the Mega Track was conceived by Georges Blain, the boss of ...

E70 AMG

A 7.1 L (7,055 cc) version was also used in the SL 70 AMG, S 70 AMG and CL 70 AMG, and produced 496 PS (365 kW). Another 7.1 L (7,055 cc) version with 510 PS (380 kW; 500 hp) was used for SL 72 AMG, S 72 AMG and CL 72 AMG cars.

E73 AMG

There was also a 7.3 L version producing developed by AMG which was also used in the SL 73 AMG, S 73 AMG and CL 73 AMG. The 7.3 L M120 engine was also featured in the AMG-built, S 73 T Kombi, a custom-built W140 S-Class wagon for the Sultan of Brunei. Eighteen units were produced, ten of which went to the Sultan.

M297

In 1997, the

FIA GT Championship The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout ...

race car

Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR The Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR (chassis code C297) is a GT1 sports car built and produced by Mercedes-Benz in conjunction with their then motorsport partner AMG. Intended for racing in the new FIA GT Championship series in 1997, the CLK GTR was d ...

was fitted with the M297 engine, derived from the M120. The 25 road cars, required by the FIA rules and delivered in 1999, had their engine enlarged to 6.9 L.

Pagani Zonda

The

Pagani Zonda The Pagani Zonda is a mid-engine sports car produced by Italian sports car manufacturer Pagani. It debuted at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show. Produced on commission in limited units, as of 2019 a total of 140 cars had been built, including develop ...

has used three different capacities of Mercedes-AMG tuned versions of the M120 engine, starting with the untuned 6.0 L for the original Zonda C12 to a 7.0 L version for the C12-S and Zonda GR, then to the 7.3 L for the Zonda S 7.3/Zonda Roadster, and back to the 6.0 L for the Zonda R and the Zonda Revolución. The bore and stroke of the 7.3 L version is . Applications:

E60

E70 AMG

E73 AMG

M297

Pagani Zonda

References

See also