Sauber - Mercedes C9 - The Return of the Silver Arrows

By: Ian Bamsey .

Mercedes re-entered international motor racing in 1988 with the fabulous, fully enclosed, turbocharged Sauber C9 sports-prototype, which over two seasons became the dominant force in sports-car racing, winning Le Mans and the World Championship. It was a return to racing by the 'Silver Arrows', which echoed their triumphs of the mid-1950s and earlier, and delivered results that became a springboard for more recent Grand Prix successes.

This book presents the in-depth story of the Silver Arrow sports-prototypes, which were propelled by production-based Mercedes V8 engines, developed to produce more than 750bhp with twin turbochargers. It charts the background to the project in the private effort of the small Swiss-based specialized manufacturer Sauber in the mid-1980s, and reveals how the Mercedes-engined car was developed to overthrow the might of Porsche and Jaguar in one of the most enthralling episodes of international sports-car racing.

The book was researched in the field, author Ian Bamsey having attended many of the key races and enjoyed the full co-operation of the engineers responsible for the Sauber-Mercedes and its rival cars. Other books have looked at the period in question but none has come anywhere near the depth of technical information and analysis contained in these pages. The reader will get a real understanding of how and why the Silver Arrow sports- prototypes worked to such good effect.

All aspects of the technology are covered in depth in this book, including engine, chassis, aerodynamics and tyres, thanks to the cooperation of specialists in all of those fields.

The book uncovers technical secrets of one of the most exciting eras of sports car racing, in a way that is accessible to the non-technically-minded reader.

Anyone who appreciates fine racing machinery will delight in this unprecedented insight into one of the most enthralling chapters of motor racing history.

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