Video: Intoxicating Sauber Mercedes C11 still looks insane at Spa

05th July 2023

Simon Ostler

Among a field of wonderful Group C sportscars, there was one during this session at the Spa Classic that stood out from the crowd. A car that dominated the 1990 World Sportscar Championship with four one-two finishes and a total of seven victories from the eight races it competed in that season. We are of course talking about the Sauber Mercedes C11, with its 5.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine producing somewhere in the region of 850PS (634kW).

It was said to be basically unbeatable, both in a straight line and round corners, and the numbers really do back that up. In many ways, the introduction of the C11 was a little overkill from Mercedes. It replaced the C9, which itself had dominated the 1989 season and actually took a one-two finish at the first round of 1990 after crash damage meant Mercedes couldn’t run the C11. So this new and improved entry left the rest of the field well and truly in the dust.

Watching it in motion, it’s easy to see why. Not only does the roar of that wondrous V8 accompany stunning straight-line performance, but it also looks utterly planted at all times. Even as the weather begins to deteriorate, there is not a hint of drama. You can’t beat a good burst of flame from the side-mounted exhausts either.

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