Like the road car, the2007 AMG-Mercedes C-Class also represents the third generation ofthis model. With 54 victories out of 106 races in which it has beenentered until the end of 2006 (in 1994 and 1995 and since 2004 inthe DTM and also in the 1996 ITC which had been derived from the DTM),the C-Class is not only the most successful Mercedes-Benz in thechampionship, but the most successful car in the history of the DTM.
Development, design andconstruction began in March 2006 when the technicians and engineersheaded by Gerhard Ungar, technical director of HWA, received the CADdata for the new model. About ten months later – on January 24, 2007– the new C-Class for the DTM made its debut on the race track. Atthe roll-out and initial testing in Estoril, Portugal, BerndSchneider and Bruno Spengler took turns behind the wheel; the twodrivers who had finished the 2006 championship in first and secondpositions respectively.
Ungar and his colleagues started with a 1:2 scale wind tunnel model,because aerodynamic development played an important role. Parts suchas doors, front screen and bonnet had to be designed andmanufactured completely new to match the car’s new silhouette. TheV8 engine with a cylinder angle of 90 degrees, a capacity of fourlitres and four valves per cylinder has been further optimised,particularly with respect to driveability. Equipped with two airrestrictors, each with a diameter of 28 millimetres, as stipulatedin the regulations, the engine now develops 350 kW/approx. 476 hp at7500 rpm and delivers a peak torque of 500 Nm. The engineers alsoworked on the suspension where the toe-in and camber angles offergreat scope for further improving both handling and drivingdynamics.
In the 2007 season, Bernd Schneider, Mika Häkkinen, Bruno Spenglerand Jamie Green will race the new AMG-Mercedes C-Class. Schneider(42) has been a member of the Mercedes-Benz DTM team since 1991. Heachieved 41 race wins, and clinched the DTM Championship titles in1995, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006. Häkkinen (38) was the 1998 and 1999Formula One World Champion with Team McLaren Mercedes. In 2001, theFinn retired from Formula One after 161 Grands Prix and 20 wins.Four years later, he came back in the DTM winning only his thirdrace in the AMG-Mercedes C-Class at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.Bruno Spengler (23) is the youngest HWA driver. For theFrench-Canadian, 2007 is the third year in the DTM. In his firstyear as a works driver in 2006, he won four races and ended theseason as runner-up behind Schneider. Green (24) was the 2004Formula 3 Euro Series Champion with a Dallara Mercedes. In the DTM,the Englishman collected six pole positions and five podium finishesuntil now.
Source: Mercedes-Benz Press Release | 
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