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.
At an auction last week, two rare 720bhp Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR supercars were bought for more than £1 million. These two cars were included in the 26 examples (20 coupes and six roadsters) of the GT1 racecar-derived machine that were made for the road in the late 1990s.
The 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster was the only right-hand drive example built and it was the top sale of the auction that evening, selling for £616,000. The coupe was sold for £522,500. These two cars were speculated to have come from the collection of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei. The coupe was estimated to be priced at £370-390,000, while the roadster estimate was £430,000-£500,000, about a third of what they cost new. The CLK GTR was modified only slightly from the racecar. It is powered by an Ilmor modified 720bhp 6.9-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine with dual overhead camshafts. It is claimed to have 572lb ft of torque and an acceleration time of 3.4sec to achieve 0-62mph.
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