MERCEDES C11
Class of 1990 Mercedes’ C11 is as robust today as it was when it took the 1990 World Sportscar Championship title By Lawrence Butcher
T
he Mercedes C11 was a pivotal car in Mercedes’ modern motorsport history as in some respects it paved the way for the manufacturer to return to Formula 1. Through its young driver programme, it was also the car that provided Michael Schumacher with his only Le Mans start, sharing in 1991 with Karl Wendlinger and Fritz Kreuzpointner.
4 Historic Racing • Racecar Engineering
4 Historic Racing • Racecar Engineering
Swiss outfit Sauber first became involved with Mercedes in the early 1980s. Mercedes engineers provided some informal development work to help with Sauber’s C6 and C7 Group C cars. Unhappy with the performance of BMW’s straight-six engine it was using at the time, Peter Sauber had approached Mercedes for an engine supply, which initially came in the form of the 2-valve
M117 V8, and then following came the four-valve, 5-litre, M119 V8. Officially, these engines were prepared by fellow Swiss Heine Mader but in fact the bulk of work was undertaken by Mercedes at its engine facility in Untertürkheim, under the supervision of Hermann Hiereth. The Mercedes engined C8 arrived in 1985, and the company’s branding came the next year.
