Sehcar C830

SEHCAR C830 – A Sauber-Based Group C Prototype with Porsche Power

Before the introduction of Group C, Peter Sauber had already established himself as a successful constructor. He built two Sauber M1 cars for Group 5, and in 1981 one of these cars—driven by Hans?Joachim Stuck and Nelson Piquet—won the 1000 km Nürburgring.

The lightweight Kevlar bodywork for the Sauber M1 had been produced by Seger & Hoffmann of Steckborn (Lake Constance). Encouraged by their expertise in composite materials, Sauber convinced the company to collaborate on a new Group C prototype project.

The SHS C6 Project

The resulting cars were known as SHS C6, named after Seger–Hoffmann–Sauber.
Sauber also recruited three engineers from Daimler-Benz—Hans-Helmut Jülicher, Rüdiger Faul, and Leo Ress—all of whom would later play long?term roles in Sauber’s engineering history.

A total of four SHS C6 chassis were built. Seger & Hoffmann did not intend to run cars themselves, so the completed chassis were sold to customer teams.

Customer Teams and Ford Cosworth Problems

One SHS C6 was sold to GS-Tuning of Freiburg, a team that had previously won the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM) with a Lancia Beta Montecarlo driven by Hans Heyer.

A second SHS C6 was purchased by Walter Brun, who entrusted Sauber with running the car.
These cars were powered by the Ford Cosworth DFL 3.9 litre V8, but the engine suffered from severe vibration issues. Reliability problems plagued the season, with 11 retirements from 18 race starts in 1982, mirroring the difficulties experienced by the similarly powered Ford C100.

The Birth of SEHCAR and a New Direction

For its next design, the Sauber C7, Sauber abandoned the Cosworth engine in favour of BMW power and ended its collaboration with Seger & Hoffmann.

Meanwhile, Walter Brun acquired GS-Tuning, forming Brun Motorsport GmbH for the 1983 season. With this acquisition, Brun now owned both SHS C6 chassis and equipment. The cars were rebranded SEHCAR, reflecting Seger & Hoffmann’s continued involvement but without direct Sauber factory support.

The Thompson Chassis and Porsche Power

Seeking further development, Brun commissioned John Thompson’s TC Prototypes to build a new honeycomb aluminium chassis, inspired by the Ford C100 layout. This marked the beginning of a long and successful collaboration between Brun Motorsport and Thompson.

The new car was completed just in time for the 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans and fitted with a Porsche 956?specification turbocharged flat?six engine and gearbox. This car became known as the Sehcar C830.

Le Mans 1983

Car #37 Drivers: Harald Grohs, Hans?Joachim Stuck, Walter Brun Qualified but did not start due to suspension failure after extensive practice issues, including bodywork problems

Brun also entered a second car, a Sauber-Sehcar C83 (#36) with Canadian Tire sponsorship, driven by Jacques Villeneuve, Ludwig Heimrath Jr., and David Deacon. This car retired after seven hours due to overheating of its Cosworth DFL engine.

These setbacks convinced Brun to abandon further development and instead acquire a customer Porsche 956.

Later Appearances and Final Racing Career

The remaining Sehcar Porsche resurfaced in 1984, entered by Procar Automobiles AG (Switzerland).

Key results included:

Monza: Withdrawn (no spare engine) Silverstone: 15th place (Rothengatter / Schickentanz) Spa: Non-start (engine availability) Imola: Accident, ending World Endurance Championship participation

The car later appeared in the Interserie at the Nürburgring in 1984, driven by Harald Grohs.

Survival and Restoration

Today, the Sehcar C830 is believed to be owned by a Sauber collector in Switzerland, who has fully rebuilt the car using original components, preserving one of the most unusual Sauber related Group C prototypes ever constructed.