Development and construction began in May 2007. An independent project group at HWA AG, working separately from the racing team, carried out the work on the new car. Ten months later the new C Class for the DTM series was out on the circuit for the first time. For the rollout and the first test in Estoril, Portugal, Bernd Schneider and Bruno Spengler were at the wheel, the winner and runner-up in the 2006 DTM series.First a wind tunnel model on a scale of 1:2 was constructed, since a large part of the development work would focus on the aerodynamics. “This is where we have the most work to do when building a new car. Parts such as doors, windscreen and bonnet all have to be newly developed and constructed”, says Ungar.

Main focus of further development: engine and suspension

Underneath the new bodywork, development of individual components continued, with the main focus on engine and suspension. The 90-degree V8 engine with four litres displacement and four valves per cylinder was further improved, especially with respect to handling. Fitted with the two regulation 28 mm diameter air restrictors, the engine delivers some 500 hp at 7,500 rpm and a peak torque of 500 Nm. The performance restriction leads to greater reliability and cost effectiveness, both part of DTM’s philosophy.

The suspension offers the engineers the greatest scope for improvements. “The toe-in and camber curves offer a wide spectrum of possibilities for further refining driving dynamics and handling”, says Gerhard Ungar. The aim is to assemble the best possible technical package, which is effective on all the race tracks. A maximum of two or three parameters in the basic configuration are changed from circuit to circuit to adapt the C Class to local conditions. The drivers, too, focused on handling when putting together their wish lists for the new model. Interestingly, the four pilots racing for HWA AG in 2007 all asked for much the same things.