 |
 |
 |
From its inception, the German Touring Car Championships (more commonly known to us as the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft or simply the DTM) had always been the domain of some very interesting racing machinery. The series had its beginnings in the demise of the old Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft which had become overblown since the introduction of Group 'C' sportscars. The grids had begun to shrink and the races were increasingly processional. In 1983, the German Motorsport Commission announced the creation of a new single category series for modified production vehicles. This series eventually became the DTM in 1986. Mercedes joined for the first time in this year, fielding the highly successful AMG- built 190E racer right up until 1993. The 190E in various guises notched up 50 victories in those 7 years, finally winning the championship in 1992 after narrowly missing out in 1986, 1988 and 1991. For 1993, the DTM series introduced the "Class 1" category in line with FIA Touring Car regulations. Class 1 was a big step beyond the popular 'Super Touring' category that prevailed among the various national touring car championships in the 1990s. The rules allowed extensive modifications to the chassis and bodywork including the use of alternative materials in the construction. Features such as active suspension, traction control, ABS and computer controlled steering were all permitted. The cars were dollar-burning technological marvels, pure bred racers with only the shape to remind you that they were actually based upon production models. For the first year of Class 1, Mercedes and AMG adapted the old 190E model to the new high-tech regulations. The car only narrowly missed out on retaining the DTM title but honours eventually went to the new four-wheel drive Alfa 155 racer. The 155 had been designed as a thoroughbred Class 1 car from the ground up. Working to the Class 1 rule book from day one, Mercedes-Benz introduced the all- new C-Class racer from 1994 onwards.
|
 |