Mercedes-Benz showed an interest in getting involved in sportscar racing once again in the 1980s (having not had an active role in motor-racing since 1955) but initially decided against developing both a car and engine package. They turned to Peter Sauber, the Swiss owner of Team Sauber who were already active in Group C sportscar racing using BMW engines. The result of their collaboration was the Sauber C8 which first appeared in 1985. The C8 was the 8th sportscar developed by Sauber and apparently the "C" in the name referred to Peter Sauber's wife Christiane. The car used a twin turbocharged Mercedes-Benz 5.0 litre V8 which was itself developed from Mercedes-Benz's production V8 engine in use at the time. The C8's first race was the 1985 24hrs of Le Mans but the car failed to start after an accident in practice. The C8 failed to appear at any further races in the 1985 World Sportscar Championship (WSC), but was entered for the full season in 1986. The highlight of the year was a win in the 7th (out of 9) round of the WSC, the 1000 km Nürburgring in Germany. The Kouros sponsored C8 finished in 5th place overall in the 1986 WSC.
For the 1986 season the C8's main sponsor was the aftershave brand Kouros, who continued as the main sponsor for the 1987 season. Sauber developed a new car for 1987, the C9 which again was powered by a 5.0 litre turbocharged Mercedes-Benz V8. The C9 had a poor first WSC season failing to win any races and only scoring points once. Kouros left as the main sponsor at the end of the season and in 1988 AEG (a Daimler-Benz subsidiary company) became the main sponsor. The 1988 WSC season saw the first win for the C9 (although the C9 won it's first non-WSC race at the end of 1987) in the first round (out of 11) at Jerez in Spain. In total the Sauber-Mercedes team won 5 out of 11 races and finished 2nd behind Jaguar in the championship. The only low point of the season was Le Mans as both C9s were withdrawn following a number of tire failures in practice.
For the 1989 season the C9s were painted silver and Mercedes-Benz replaced AEG as the main sponsor. The C9 was the dominant car for the '89 WSC season winning 7 out of 8 races including the 24hrs of Le Mans. The '89 Le Mans win was the icing on the cake for Mercedes-Benz as it was only their second win in the prestigious French race (the 1st win being in 1952). In 1990 the C9 made way for the Mercedes-Benz C11.
This model by Exoto is based on the Kouros sponsored C9 from the 1987 WSC season. New Zealander Mike Thackwell was the principal driver for Sauber-Mercedes and was paired with drivers such as Henri Pescarolo, Manuel Reuter and Johnny Dumfries. The large rear wing on the car indicates it is in "sprint" configuration which prioritised downforce over top speed. This was the most common configuration for the C9. For races with long straights (mostly Le Mans) a lower downforce configuration with a smaller rear wing were used which gave the car a higher top speed with slightly less downforce.
Exoto released their model of the C9 in 2002 and the 1987 Kouros car was one of the first released. Exoto make some of the most detailed (and most expensive) 1:18ths and this model is no exception. The front and rear bodywork are removable, and the wheels can also be removed by undoing a central wheelnut. Engine detail is first rate and the gear lever in the cockpit is connected to a working gear linkage that moves when the lever is moved. The interior is accurately replicated as well. Overall a first rate model and definitely worth adding to any collection.
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