1993 Sauber C12A Formula 1 Single Seater

Lot details
Registration No: N/A
Chassis No: 93.C12A.04
Mot Expiry: N/A

Peter Sauber founded his eponymous Zurich-based F1 Team in the 1970s. He actually sold it to BMW in 2005, but repurchased it in time for the 2010 season. He currently retains a 66.6% stake in the business, the remainder belonging to Indian-born lawyer Monisha Kaltenborn, who is also the CEO and chief spokesperson.

The late '80s/early '90s was a turbulent time in F1 that led to a number of major partnership realignments and the withdrawal of many of the smaller teams. Out of Grand Prix racing since 1955, Mercedes had planned an all-embracing collaboration with Sauber for the 1993 season, but in the end opted to provide support from behind closed doors. The purposeful-looking Chassis dubbed C12 (the letter C has figured in all Sauber chassis and is a tribute to Peter Sauber's wife Christine) was powered by the Northants-built Ilmor V10 engine and ultimately piloted by JJ Lehto and Karl Wendlinger to seventh place in the Constructors' Championship. By 1994, the team had acquired full Mercedes backing and had been renamed Sauber Mercedes and the Ilmor powerplant rebadged accordingly. Heinz-Harald Frentzen assumed the role of Wendlinger's team mate.

Looking for all-the-world like a race car, chassis 93.C12A.04 is in fact the fourth of five show cars constructed at the end of the 1993 season for use by the team and its partners the following year. It is therefore finished in the 1994 livery and was constructed using original tooling and parts, including a carbonfibre tub and race specification suspension and brakes. The engine and semi-automatic transaxle are deliberately missing certain components, but the overall effect is extremely convincing. Chassis 93.C12A.04 represents a unique opportunity to purchase a significant slice of motorsport history - ie a car that represents Mercedes' return to the Grand Prix circus for the first time in 39 years.

PLEASE NOTE: Several interested parties have enquired as to whether it would be possible to modify or adapt this show car for track use. We put this question to Sauber and received the following response: `As we have already stated in our e-mail of 25 August 2014 the car in question is a show car only. To the best of our knowledge some original parts were used, even new ones. It is also possible that the chassis was made with original tools. Please bear in mind that this show car was built more than 20 years ago. However, we would like to emphasize that this show car was not built to be driven. It would be irresponsible to make this show car driveable or use parts to build up a car that would be operated, and we therefore assume no liability whatsoever. We kindly ask you to inform all interested parties accordingly. Even if the Sauber C12A is for display only it is certainly an attractive car, commemorating the first Formula 1 season for the Sauber team in 1993'.