Sauber Mercedes-Benz C292
We are excited to present to you a truly remarkable car which has never been seen in public before. This is chassis number one of two cars built by Sauber to compete in the 1992 World Sportscar Championship. The only other example, chassis number two, was on display at the Sauber museum but is now believed to be in the Mercedes factory collection.
The Mercedes-Benz C292 was a stillborn Group C prototype race car intended for the 1992 World Sportscar Championship season as an evolution of the Mercedes-Benz C291, but never raced due to Mercedes-Benz withdrawing from sportscar racing after the 1991 season. It retained the purpose built 3.5 litre naturally aspirated flat 12 engine coupled to a transverse 6 speed sequential gearbox.
After a disappointing 1991 season with it's first non-turbocharged car, the C291, extensive development by the Sauber engineers resulted in all of the C291's faults being rectified. In addition, intensive test-bench engine development saw the power increase to 690bhp at 'only' 12,600rpm, allowing for further development going forward with higher revolutions available. These advances, in addition to many aerodynamic developments made the C292 the most sophisticated and technologically advanced Group C car ever.
Like the C291, the engine used an advanced engine management system developed by Dr. Udo Zucker at TAG Electronics. It had a comprehensive telemetric system incorporated, transmitting 5 million bits of information per second. Dr. Zucker is recognised to be the 'father' of the Motronic system which was developed by him at Bosch. Fifty engines were built in preparation for running two cars in the 1992 season.
The car appears complete apart from the TAG Electronics engine management unit which is missing, along with the dashboard display. These will be replaced with a modern ECU and Motec system if the owner decides to restore the car to running condition.
The added downforce from the new front end is evident from the rear of the C292, where reshaping of the rear deck allowed the use of a substantial double-decker wing with huge end plates to supplement the underbody venturi.
Obligatory headlights were smaller and lighter than those on the previous car.
No 'H' pattern in here, instead a six speed sequential gearbox.
At the front, the C292 developed even further the C291's concept of a flat panel above the lower surfaces of the nose. The panel, although flat on the top, is shaped like an upside down aeroplane wing, around 70mm at it's thickest and tapering to a knife edge at the top, creating further downforce. Air then flowed back openly around the cabin into inlets behind the doors, substantially lightening the latter.
