The Class 1 car
The AMG-Mercedes C-Class DTM was a silhouette racer that kept little more than the roof and door skins of the production saloon. Power came from a bespoke M106 2.5-litre naturally aspirated V6 with a 90-degree bank angle and a semi-stressed block that formed part of the chassis. It made around 400 PS at the start, developed to roughly 420 PS by 1995 and revved to 12,000 rpm, driving through a six-speed sequential transaxle with carbon brakes.
Technology banned at the top
The Class 1 car carried electronic aids that had just been outlawed in Formula 1, including ABS and traction control. It kept the production unitary steel shell, but the structure ahead of the cockpit was cut away and replaced by a tubular frame, and in full ITC tune later cars pushed past 500 PS.
1994: a winning debut
Klaus Ludwig, a veteran of the 190E Evo programme, won the 1994 drivers' title at the Hockenheim finale, securing Mercedes' first DTM championship with the C-Class. Jorg van Ommen and Roland Asch also won races, and Mercedes took the manufacturers' trophy.
1995 and 1996
For 1995 the series ran alongside the new International Touring Car Championship, drawing in Alfa Romeo and Opel. Bernd Schneider, in the D2-backed C-Class, won five races and his first title, beating Jan Magnussen and Dario Franchitti. In 1996, despite Mercedes' qualifying pace, Manuel Reuter's Opel Calibra took the crown in a season wrecked by politics and spiralling cost, which killed the championship at year's end. The C-Class scored 17 wins and two titles in three seasons.