The Mercedes-Benz Sauber C11

Debuted in 1990 as the successor to the championship-winning C9, competing in the final years of the Group C era. Designed with a lightweight carbon-fiber monocoque and powered by a 5.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8, the C11 proved to be both durable and devastatingly quick. Over the course of the 1990 World Sportscar Championship season, it dominated the grid, claiming victory in all but one race and securing both the teams’ and drivers’ titles for Mercedes-Benz and Sauber.

Tamiya reproduced this prototype on their Group C chassis, a simple yet highly effective rear-wheel drive platform known for its efficiency and high-speed stability. With its direct-drive layout, lightweight design, and long wheelbase, the chassis delivered performance that matched the sleek lines of endurance racers. The C11 body remains one of the standout shells in the Group C series, faithfully capturing the low, sculpted silhouette of Mercedes’ silver prototype.

Your build carries the C11 in its most iconic form—painted in metallic silver and finished with the #1 race livery. The clean silver bodywork highlights the purposeful aerodynamics, while the decals complete the authentic look of Mercedes’ all-conquering endurance machine. The result is a striking model that blends Tamiya’s engineering with the history of one of Group C’s most dominant prototypes.