Sauber Mercedes C9

The Sauber Mercedes C9, also known as the Mercedes-Benz C9, is a Group C prototype racing car that was introduced in 1987. It was developed by Sauber Motorsport as a continuation of their partnership with Mercedes-Benz for the World Sportscar Championship. The C9 was a successor to the Sauber C8 and was designed by Peter Sauber and Heini Mader.

The car had a light alloy monocoque chassis and featured double wishbone suspension with coil springs over shock absorbers and a torsion bar stabilizer. It was powered by a Mercedes-Benz M119HL 4,973 cc 90° V8 engine with twin KKK Type 27 turbos, which was mid and longitudinally mounted. The engine produced between 720 to 820 horsepower at 7,000 rpm.

The C9 had a notable racing history, with 21 races, 13 wins, 7 poles, and 5 fastest laps. It won the Teams’ Championships, Constructors’ Championships, and Drivers’ Championships (Jean-Louis Schlesser) in 1989.

Despite its age, the car has been updated with modern technology for vintage events. For instance, the old ECU has been replaced with a new one that is hidden inside a housing made to look like the vintage one. This allows the team to monitor things like clutch pedal travel to ensure drivers aren’t riding the clutch on this historic car.