Mercedes-AMG Unveils Retro Liveries for Le Mans Return
Mercedes-AMG, Iron Lynx pay tribute to Sauber-Mercedes C9 with retro Le Mans livery...
Image: Mercedes-AMG
Mercedes-AMG has unveiled a trio of retro liveries to mark its return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time in 26 years, with its three Iron Lynx-entered cars paying homage to the Sauber-Mercedes C9 that won the race in 1989.
The three cars have been fitted with a silver color scheme that directly references the Group C car that captured a 1-2 victory for the Silver Arrows, including color-coded mirrors and rear wing endplates.
Stanley Dickens, Manuel Reuter and Jochen Mass steered the C9 to victory. Mass recently passed away at the age of 78.
The three-car effort for Iron Lynx marks the first time since 1999 that Mercedes has competed at the French endurance classic, having been absent since the shuttering of its ill-fated CLR effort.
The two full season FIA World Endurance Championship cars will be driven by Claudio Schiavoni, Matteo Cressoni and Claudio Schiavoni and Martin Berry, Lin Hodenius and Maxime Martin, respectively.
They will be joined by a third car, with that entry secured through an auto-invitation for winning the European Le Mans Series LMGT3 title last year.
The No. 63 machine will be driven by the father-and-son pairing of Stephen and Brenton Grove and Mercedes-AMG factory driver Luca Stolz.
Notably, while the Groves are new to Le Mans, Stolz has one Le Mans start under his belt, dating back to when he shared a GTE-Am Ferrari 488 GTE with Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen in 2018.
“For Mercedes-AMG, the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a significant moment – 26 years after the brand with the star last competed,” said Christoph Sagemueller, head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport.
“In 1989, Mercedes-Benz celebrated a major success with a one-two victory. We are paying tribute to the legendary Sauber-Mercedes C9 and this triumph from back then in a very special way.
“The three Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 represent the present in Customer Racing, but with their special Silver Arrow design inspired by the past, they also pay tribute to a piece of history.
“I am delighted that we are able to continue this history at Le Mans.”
Image: Mercedes-AMG
Image: Mercedes-AMG
