C8 1986 for sale

The Sauber C8 is the most titled of the three cars produced - Entered three times in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Victory at the 1000 km of Nürburgring in 1986 driven by Mike Thackwell and the legend Henri Pescarolo MERCEDES 5 Litres bi-turbo engine, torquey, powerful and reliable Eligible for the most prestigious events: Dubai GP Revival, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Daytona Classic 24 Hour, Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, Masters Historic Racing, Silverstone Classic, Group C Racing & Le Mans Classic Sponsored by Yves Saint Laurent, this Group C powered by Mercedes paved the way for the double achieved by Mercedes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1989. The Sauber C8, a prototype compliant with Group C regulations, was presented in 1985 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It is the first prototype resulting from a true partnership between Sauber and Mercedes-Benz. Ascott Collection is particularly proud to offer for sale this Sauber C8 chassis 86.C8.02 as it holds an important place in the history of Sauber and Mercedes, major companies in the sector still present in Formula 1 today. With only three cars produced, this Sauber C8 86.C8.02 is the most iconic C8 of the brand: Car entrusted to Mike Thackwell and the legend Henri Pescarolo, it won the 1000 km of Nürburgring and was entered three times in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. From the first creations to the C8 in partnership with Mercedes-Benz The story of the Sauber C8 begins long before the 1980s. In 1969, Peter Sauber, a passionate craftsman based in Hinwil near Zurich, began building sports cars. After a first buggy intended for hill climbs, then the Spyder C1 equipped with a 1000 cm³ Brabham-Hart, he developed, for circuit racing, the C2, C3 and C4 with a Ford Cosworth engine. Sauber made its first appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the C5, powered by the BMW M12 engine. Complying with the rules of Group 6, the C5 went to Sarthe in 1977 and 1978 with a retirement and then an 18th place finish, but unclassified. Then Sauber moved to Group C with the C6. It was 1982 and Sauber was already at the rendezvous of the new category that would animate endurance for a decade. The C6, called SHS C6 - because developed jointly by Sauber and Seger & Hoffman - experienced vibration problems with its V8 Cosworth DFL 3.9 liters engine. They then switched to the BMW block for the C7 (in 1983). This C7 became famous for finishing 9th at the 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans, preventing Porsche from taking all top 10 places overall! A great performance considering its BMW engine had a power deficit compared to Porsche… In order to optimize the aerodynamics of his new creation (failing to extract more horsepower from his BMW block), Peter Sauber approached Mercedes-Benz to use their wind tunnel. This request led to a historic collaboration! Indeed, the German manufacturer offered Sauber to use the M117 engine, a 5-liter V8. Sauber saw here the opportunity to have a “unique” engine and thus avoid the too conventional Porsche engines. Meanwhile, for Mercedes it was an opportunity to “test” Group C, in which its rival Porsche and many manufacturers were launching. The Mercedes-Benz block thus passed into the hands of Heini Mader (who served as a “cover”) in order not to leak the rumor of Mercedes' official return to competition. It was then mounted in the new Sauber. This is how the Sauber C8 was born, a natural evolution of the C7 designed by Sauber and his team to exclusively receive the Mercedes-Benz M117 block. The new car would make a major technological leap. Its aluminum monocoque chassis was equipped with a fiberglass body reinforced with Kevlar, designed by Peter Faul. But it was its powertrain that marked the real revolution: the Mercedes V8 was equipped with two KKK turbochargers and developed a power that the whole team had been working on for years (650 horsepower at 6000 rpm in race, with the ability to reach 800 horsepower in qualifying). The engine, with its aluminum block without liners, had a Bosch Motronic 1.2 electronic management system, similar to that of the Porsche 962, its main rival. This newly developed bi-turbo V8 was coupled to a Hewland five-speed gearbox. Finally, Sauber had a complete package capable of facing Porsche. Moreover, as early as 1985, Mercedes-Benz sent consulting engineers to assist at every testing session. The rumor of an official return of the brand to endurance was growing. Daimler-Benz quickly brought in money and sponsors, continued the development of the bi-turbo engine and finally helped to make the Hewland VGC transmission reliable, with the help of the British company Staffs Silent Gear Ltd. The C8 would be the origin of a new era.