Report: Street Legal Mercedes CLK GTR Cars to Be Auctioned Off in London

For those with the means, RM Auctions is offering the chance to own not one, but two Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR street cars. Essentially road legal versions of the FIA GT1 race cars, just 25 of these incredible exotics were built to meet FIA regulations, which clearly state that any race car must be based on a production model street car.

As a result, these street cars are actually based on the race cars, and not the other way around. They boast 612-hp 6.9-liter V12 engines, six-seed sequential transmissions with paddle shifters and carbon fiber brakes.

The CLK GTR race cars competed in the FIA GT1 class in 1997 and 1998, taking the championship in their first year.

As mentioned, just 25 of these cars exist with only five of the roadster models ever made.

Both cars will hit the auction block on October 28th at RM Auction’s Automobiles of London sale.

We’ll take both!

More on the CLK GTR street cars after the jump:

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.