Wednesday One-Off: 1995 Lotec C1000

The 1990s gave the motoring world a veritable glut of sensational supercars that perfectly suited an era of flamboyant excess, with rocketing horsepower figures, and extravagant styling to match the increasingly wealthy enthusiasts.

With so many iconic and eye-catching models on the market to choose from there was certainly more than one way for the mega-wealthy to experience unhinged performance and dream car levels of exclusivity. But for some, even limited production was not enough, which resulted in machines such as this week’s Wednesday One-Off: the Lotec C1000.

In the early 1990s a wealthy oil sheikh from the United Arab Emirates commissioned Mercedes-Benz to build him a one-of-a-kind supercar. Obviously wanting to put the best minds on the task, Mercedes turned to Lotec. The man behind Lotec was the legendary German racing driver Kurt Lotterschmid, who had built an impressive record for developing and driving endurance racers, and was famed for producing performance upgrades for Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari and Porsche road cars.

With the commission in hand, the C1000 project began in 1991 and would take four years to reach its remarkable conclusion. A full carbon-fibre chassis and body shell was developed, meaning that the whole car tipped the scales at just 1,080kg. The bodywork was dramatically styled with a steeply raked windscreen being mirrored by sharply sculpted lines leading into the substantial rear wing, and a cavernous rear diffuser not only looked striking but greatly assisted in improving the aerodynamics to keep such a potent machine planted on the road.

The staggering performance of the C1000 was delivered by a mid-mounted twin-turbocharged 5.6-litre Mercedes-Benz V8, derived from a Sauber C9 Le Mans sports prototype. This phenomenal power plant delivered 986bhp to the rear wheels via a Hewland five-speed manual racing gearbox. With a power-to-weight ratio of 900bhp per ton, the C1000 was able to rocket from 0-62mph in just 3.2 seconds, 0-124mph in 8 seconds, and was reputedly capable of achieving a top speed of 268mph.

Inside, the C1000 offered a driver-focused cabin, but with sufficient comfort being largely trimmed in contrasting black and red leather. The deep bucket seats were also hemmed-in on either side by broad carbon-fibre sills. The aluminium gear lever, like most classic Le Mans racers, was located on the right of the Alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, which alongside the pedals, could be adjusted for driving comfort. The car even featured an air conditioning system.

When the Lotec C1000 was eventually completed in 1995 it had reportedly set its discerning owner back a staggering $3.4 million: a fittingly extravagant cost for what was, in essence, a road-legal Le Mans racer.

Since then, the car has returned to auction on more than one occasion, at prices far lower than the initial cost. Of course, that’s not what the Lotec C1000 is all about. It is a striking display of automotive engineering that pushed the boundaries of what a road-going supercar was capable of at the time – a decade before the Bugatti Veyron would go into production. It rightly takes its place as a one-off dream machine.

Photos via Lotec and RKM.