Pair of Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR road cars to be auctioned by RM in London
Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster - Click above for a high-res image gallery
Supercars like the SLS AMG and SL65 AMG Black Series might be the flagships for the current Mercedes-Benz lineup, but back in the late 1990s it was all about the CLK GTR -- an all-out race car slightly disguised as a road car. The street version you see here was built to homologate the race car that competed in the FIA's GT1 class in 1997 and 1998 (wining the championship in 1997). Each came with a 6.9-liter V12 putting out 612 horsepower as well as features found on modern supercars like a sequential six-speed transmission with paddle shifters and carbon fiber brakes. Just 25 examples were built including five roadsters, making the CLK GTR one of the most exclusive supercars ever built.
It's for this reason that the auction of two CLK GTR road cars immediately caught our attention. Both will be offered at RM Auction's Automobiles of London sale on October 28. One coupe and one roadster will go across the block, each completely brand new and unregistered with delivery miles only. Interestingly, both cars are right hand drive, custom built for the original owner. RM lists the estimated price for each CLK GTR at around 1/3 the original cost to build the cars, meaning some lucky collector might take home a supercar for a bargain. Follow the jump for more details about both cars, or check out the stunning high-resolution gallery below.
[Source: RM Auctions]
VEHICLE DESCRIPTIONS COURTESY RM AUCTIONS:
2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Coupe
Estimate:
£370,000-£390,000
612 bhp, 6,898 cc naturally-aspirated V12 engine with dual overhead camshafts, six-speed sequential manual gearbox with paddle-shift operation, independent front and rear suspension with double wishbones, pushrod-actuated coil springs and shock absorbers, and four-wheel ventilated, anti-lock carbon-fibre disc brakes. Wheelbase: 105.1"
Of the 25 homologated CLK GTRs built for road use, the first 20 were Coupés like their racing counterparts. As evidenced by its commemorative sill-mounted plaque, this particular car is the 13th in the series. Official documentation from HWA confirms this to be the only right hand drive CLK GTR coupé ever built. It was specially constructed for a prominent collector and sold new for €1 million according to the same documentation. What's more, the car has never been road registered is now offered with delivery mileage only, amounting to 25 kms from new. Completed in January 2005, the car is essentially brand new, finished in the typical German racing colour, silver. The interior features plaid upholstery reminiscent of the sporting silver arrows and Mercedes racing cars of decades past.
The CLK GTR is without a doubt the closest a road going car will ever come to its race-ready sibling. Its performance figures are downright mind-blowing; surely even Steve McQueen would have pulled over on the Mulsanne straight. Considering its status as one of the rarest German sports racing cars ever produced, it holds true to the valued traditions of homologated GT racing and, in spite of its 21st century technology, has solidified its place in history as a classic among classics.
2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster
Estimate: £430,000-£500,000
612 bhp, 6,898 cc naturally-aspirated V12 engine with dual overhead camshafts, six-speed sequential manual gearbox with paddle-shift operation, independent front and rear suspension with double wishbones, pushrod-actuated coil springs and shock absorbers, and four-wheel ventilated, anti-lock carbon-fibre disc brakes. Wheelbase: 105.1"
Of the 25 road going CLK GTRs built to meet FIA requirements, just five examples were equipped with the stunning roadster body of the example presented here. These roadsters were built by HWA, a sister company to AMG, which has been involved in Mercedes' cutting-edge racing development and DTM projects since the late 1960s. In fact, HWA are the initials of the company's president and AMG co-founder Hans-Werner Aufrecht.
The Roadster variants they built of the CLK GTR are virtually identical to the Coupés, with the exception of a removable top panel and integrated roll bar. The example presented here is number 2 in the series and, as confirmed by official HWA documentation, is the only right hand drive CLK GTR Roadster. Its colour combination is striking indeed, and like its coupé sibling, the car is virtually brand new; it was completed in August 2006 for a prominent collector, has accumulated just 34 delivery kms from new and has never been road registered. The same documentation further confirms this car cost a staggering €1.3 million, which makes its offering today a very attractive proposition indeed.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
jcar302 7:39PM (9/23/2009)
I'm in love.
Reply
Phillip 11:50PM (9/23/2009)
The designers must have been on crack when the went with the plaid seats (silver coupe).
Javanese 9:59AM (9/24/2009)
Yeah a sweet looking car, I bet these belongs to the Sultan of Brunei since he's the only one known to have his cars built in RHD. Looks like he never get to drive these cars, the only upside of having a garage filled with 6000 unique custom built supercars I guess. Maybe it's not special enough for him.
zamafir 11:53AM (9/24/2009)
Best. UFO. EVER.
HotRodzNKustoms 7:41PM (9/23/2009)
How many body parts do I have to sell for this?
Reply
Michael 8:01PM (9/23/2009)
I wonder if they would take a kidney... I don't need one...
2004m3driver 12:23AM (9/24/2009)
I heard kidneys were down in price for about 40k, but the good news is livers have been in bad shape since the recession so you can probably get 200k for good one. Too bad you kinda need one to live, kinda like this car.
Vtecgreen 7:43PM (9/23/2009)
Holy muffler! Those things are HUGE - they look like 55gallon oil drums - wonder how much those guys quite this thing down?
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Venom 7:45PM (9/23/2009)
These cars are pretty cool.
Badass looking.
Funny though, the interiors look like they were taken straight out of an early 90's S class.
Reply
skylin3gtr013 8:03PM (9/23/2009)
Yeah, i was gonna say.
Interior reminds me of the '90s benz in my garage haha
Affalterbach 8:36PM (9/23/2009)
Having seen one in the flesh, the dash and center console is exactly like a 90s CL but shorter.
Affalterbach 8:46PM (9/23/2009)
correction: I mean '90s CLK.
speedball3 12:34PM (9/24/2009)
Those 4 spoke steering wheels are killing me (not to mention the purple leather). Would it have been that hard to put in a proper sparco/momo/etc 3 spoke?
Visnick 7:48PM (9/23/2009)
Drooooool
They really shouldn't mention the SLS and SL65 Black along with this, completely different league.
I would sell the remaining body parts from the Zonda transaction for that roadster
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Sea Urchin 7:54PM (9/23/2009)
The bailout crowd is all over this one. (Goldman Sucks, AIG, BofA and others)
Reply
audi_arena 12:00PM (9/24/2009)
In that case, I hope the car handles just like its race-car counterpart:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dALk5f5JHzM
BigTeebo 8:10PM (9/23/2009)
I like this. A nice blend of a Mercedes(especially up front) + pure race car. And it looks comfy on the inside.
Reply
auto.design 8:24PM (9/23/2009)
Well hopefully the roadcars don't fly as well as the racecars do
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0t5juiDfr8
se30chris 9:04PM (9/23/2009)
That was the CLR. It's not even the same car.
se30chris 9:05PM (9/23/2009)
Even the moron who hosted the YouTube video doesn't even know his cars. Fail.