Images: Bonhams
This Works 1996 Mercedes-Benz C-Class DTM Competition Saloon, driven in period by Jag Magnussen, Juan Pablo Montoyo and Ricardo Zonta is set to head to auction at Bonhams’ 2015 Mercedes-Benz sale.
And, suddenly, we want a C-Class!
This car, RS 96 02 30, was Mercedes’ Works entry in the 1996 Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft and International Touring Car Series. It was prepared and entered by AMG and sponsored by Warsteiner.
Mercedes were on a hot streak in the mid ’90s. They’d won their first DTM Championship in 1992 with Klaus Ludwig and the awe-inspiring Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo2, and had followed it up in ’94 and ’95 with the W202 C-Class.
DTM itself, however, was in a more tumultuous position. The DTM and ITC series were combined in 1996 to become the International Touring Car Championship. This meant a great deal more travelling expense, and the series suffered under its various financial burdens. At the end of the ’96 season it was cancelled and would not return until 2000 as the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.
This car raced during that season and contested every round, driven primarily by Jan Magnussen. Magnussen would be behind the wheel for 11 out of the car’s 13 rounds and secure its best results. These came in its debut in Hockenheim, where Magnussen drove it to second in the first race, and went one better in the second to take a win.
The pair followed up when they got to round two at the Nürburgring, claiming another podium in the second race. They would then enter a mid-season slump and it would be Sao Palo and Suzuka, the two final rounds of the season, before they were back on the podium for two more third-place finishes.
Juan Pablo Montoya was in the very early days of his racing at the time, racing in the British Formula 3 Championship. He would get behind the wheel of RS 96 02 30 mid-season for a round at Silverstone. Brazilian and South American Formula 3 Champion Ricardo Zonta would also take a run in the car, contesting a round at the Nürburgring.
With the close of the 1996 season and the demise of the championship the car was placed into storage, where it’s been resting since. It’s in lovely original condition, and will head to auction at Bonhams’ Mercedes-Benz sale on the 28th of March, 2015. Hit this link to head to their website for more information.
This machine represents a living piece of history, run by a works team in a ground-breaking and exciting racing series. It’s also absolutely awesome, and we can’t wait to see it hit the track in anger again!
Via Bonhams
Images via Bonhams
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