Famous Silver Arrows livery to feature at Le Mans celebrating Mercedes’ 1989 win

Mercedes World Endurance Championship squad Iron Lynx will run a special livery at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours to celebrate the German marque’s victory of the famous enduro in 1989.

The customer team will deck its three Mercedes GT3s in the popular Silver Arrows scheme that was used when the manufacturer claimed a dominant 1-2 at Circuit de la Sarthe 36 years ago.

This is being done to celebrate Mercedes ending its 26-year absence from Le Mans, as it has made its WEC debut in 2025 after Iron Lynx ditched Lamborghini for the manufacturer this year.

“We are absolutely honoured to partner with Mercedes-AMG for this amazing initiative,” said Andrea Piccini, CEO of Iron Lynx.

“We all grew up watching the Silver Arrows compete and dreamed about their outstanding drivers and great races.

“To now be part of this legacy is nothing short of amazing and is a milestone to remember for our team.”

The 1989 race was a monumental occasion for Mercedes, who in partnership with Sauber entered the illustrious C9 that also won that year’s World Sportscar Championship.

Aboard the Le Mans-winning #63 C9 were Jochen Mass, Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens, who finished five laps up on the #61 Sauber-Mercedes shared by Mauro Baldi, Kenny Acheson and Gianfranco Brancatelli.

“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 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 LMGT3s 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.”

Mercedes was much more sporadic at Le Mans after 1989 though, as its ill-fated 1999 race was its third and most recent attack of the enduro since then.

The factory squad entered three CLRs in the LMGTP class, yet its #4 car was withdrawn after a crash in the Saturday morning warm-up.

Its #5 and #6 cars made the race, yet a few hours into the event Peter Dumbreck aboard the former went airborne just before the Indianapolis corner and landed in the trees.

Although he was unharmed, the embarrassing moment was caught by the television cameras, so Mercedes immediately withdrew its third entry.

Le Mans will take place on the 14-15 June this year, with Iron Lynx entering the race without a point in the opening three rounds of the 2025 WEC campaign.