Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR
Encyclopedia
The Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR is a sports car
and race car that was built by Mercedes-AMG
, performance and motorsports arm of Mercedes-Benz
. Intended for racing in the new FIA GT Championship
series in 1997, the CLK GTR was designed primarily as a race car, with the road cars necessary in order to meet homologation
standards being secondary in the car's design. Thus the limited production road-going cars were considered racing cars for the road.
After competing successfully in 1997, the race car was upgraded in 1998 for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
and renamed the CLK LM. Following the construction of the CLK LMs and the CLK GTR road cars, the project would end in 1999 by being replaced by the Mercedes-Benz CLR
Le Mans prototype
.
/International Touring Car Championship had folded in late 1996, with both remaining competitors Opel
and Alfa Romeo
leaving due to the high costs of their 4WD designs, Mercedes-Benz had no top series to compete in. With the success of the BPR Global GT Series
leading to the FIA taking over and turning it into an international series known as the FIA GT Championship
, Mercedes-Benz saw an opportunity to go against manufacturers like Porsche
and Ferrari
.
Following the design that Porsche had laid out with their 911
homologation special, Mercedes-AMG
was tasked by Mercedes-Benz
with creating an extreme racing car that still maintained some elements of a normal street legal car. AMG's designers created a car which shared some design elements with the Mercedes-Benz CLK
, yet had all the standard features of a racing car underneath. A Mercedes-Benz M120
V12 engine
would be at the heart of the car, mounted behind the cockpit. The bodywork would be made entirely of carbon fiber
, and would feature many aerodynamic design elements and cooling openings in order to survive on the race track.
To test the CLK GTR before the first chassis were built, Mercedes-AMG actually took an unusual measure. Through secrecy, Mercedes-AMG was able to purchase a disused McLaren F1 GTR
, the defending BPR GT series champion, from Larbre Compétition
. This purchase first allowed Mercedes-AMG to see the kind of lap times that their competitors could run, to serve as a measurement of the CLK GTRs abilities. However, more importantly, Mercedes-AMG set about modifying this F1 GTR by attaching bodywork that was meant to go on the CLK GTRs. This allowed Mercedes-AMG to be able to perfect the aerodynamics of the car before it had even been built.
Upon completion of the first two prototypes a mere 128 days after the initial drawings had been made, the CLK GTRs were entered into the 1997 FIA GT Championship season
, debuting at the season-opener at one of Mercedes-Benz's home tracks, the Hockenheimring
. Unfortunately the new cars were not able to shine, as brake problems eliminated one car after five laps, and the other finished over 20 laps behind the winning McLaren. However by the next round at Silverstone, the CLK GTR began to show its pace, finishing less than a second behind the winning McLaren. By the fourth round, returning to Germany for the Nürburgring
, a third CLK GTR was added to the team. In this race, Mercedes-Benz successfully outperformed the fleet of McLarens, taking first and second places. The team would finish out the season with five more wins, at A1-Ring, Suzuka
, Donington
, Sebring, and Laguna Seca
, allowing them to secure the team championship as well as the drivers championship for Bernd Schneider
.
Mercedes-Benz would use the CLK GTR for the first two rounds of the 1998
season before upgrading to the CLK LM. However privateer team Persson Motorsport would campaign two CLK GTRs throughout the entire season, taking a best finish of second at Oschersleben
before finishing the year third in the teams championship.
Initially the CLK-GTR's V12 engine produced approximately 600 hp before developments during the 1997 season increased this to 630 hp. Persson Motorsport's CLK GTRs remained at this power output as Mercedes-AMG had moved to development of the V8 in the CLK LM.
in , which it had not been at since . However, Le Mans presented a different challenge from that offered in FIA GT, in that the race distances were nearly one tenth the distance covered at Le Mans. Therefore Mercedes-AMG
set about altering the CLK GTR in order to meet the new demands required at Le Mans.
First and foremost, Mercedes-AMG decided that the M120 V12 would not be up to the task of running for 24 hours. It was decided instead that Mercedes would actually return to an engine they had used in Group C
in the late 1980s, the M119
V8
. Abandoning the turbocharger
s that the M119 had used in Group C and enlarging the displacement, Mercedes-AMG felt that the M119 would have better reliability at speeds while still performing the same amount of power as the M120 due to air restrictor regulations.
Satisfied with the engine, Mercedes-AMG also set about altering the bodywork to better cope with the high speeds of Le Mans. The nose was lowered, with the large front brake cooling ducts on the sides of the nose being removed and replaced by a single, large opening in the front of the car. The roof of the car was also lowered and a new engine air intake designed. Various other mechanical tweaks were also performed. This new car would become known as CLK LM, standing for Le Mans.
Debuting at Le Mans, the CLK LMs were immediately quick. The two car team took the pole, ahead of custom built open cockpit Le Mans prototype
s. However, Mercedes-AMG's belief that the M119 V8s would be better suited to Le Mans was proven wrong as both cars suffered engine failures within the first few hours of the race, leaving Mercedes-Benz dejected.
Returning to FIA GT, Mercedes-Benz replaced their older CLK GTRs with the new CLK LMs and saw greater success. The two cars easily won every remaining race, including six 1-2 finishes. This handed Mercedes-Benz the teams championship again, while Klaus Ludwig
and Ricardo Zonta
would share the drivers championship.
For the 1999 season, no competitor attempted to enter the GT1 class in FIA GT except for Mercedes-Benz, forcing the FIA to cancel the class, similar to the DTM/ITC two years earlier. Mercedes-Benz thus turned to constructing an all-new car to overcome their failure at Le Mans. No longer forced to build a racing car that could also be a road car, Mercedes-AMG set about creating the Mercedes-Benz CLR
.
The CLK LM's V8 engine produced approximately 600 hp, allowing it to reach speeds up to 330 km/h (205 mph) in testing for the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans. Mercedes-AMG claimed a virtual top speed of 335 km/h (208 mph). In total, four racing variant CLK-LMs were constructed and one road-going version was built to comply with the 1998 FIA regulations.
at the Affalterbach
factory between winter of 1998 and summer of 1999 and differed only slightly from the race car. All of the 25 CLK GTRs ever built were left hand drive except for one which was specially built for Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah
of Brunei
. Driver comfort and refinements were at a minimum in the construction of the road cars as Mercedes-Benz wished to not only offer customers a true race car, but also to attempt to keep the price low. Leather was used in the interior and an air conditioning system was offered. Two small storage lockers were also built underneath each upward swinging door. Traction control was also added for driver safety.
The car retained much of the design of the original CLK GTR instead of the CLK LM, including the V12 and many stylistic elements. One key difference was the rear wing, which used a hoop-style integrated wing in place of the separate racing wing. From the otherwise unrelated standard production Mercedes-Benz CLK
, only the instrumentation, front grille and the four headlamps were used.
Ilmor Engineering provided enhancements to the engine, increasing displacement from 6.0L to 6.9L. This increase in displacement coupled with the removal of a racing air restrictor allowed for 612 PS and torque to 775 newton metre. Mercedes-AMG claimed 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph).
The Guinness Book of World Records recorded the CLK GTR as the most expensive production car ever built at the time, with a price of $1,547,620(USD).
After the completion of the 20 original CLK GTRs, AMG's specialist group H.W.A., who had assisted in the construction of the CLK GTRs, began construction of a roadster version of the CLK GTR. Built either by modifying an existing CLK GTR or by building a new car from spare chassis and parts, these cars were modified with the removal of their roofs as well as a reconstruction of their engine covers. Also the rearwing was replaced by a separate black wing, close to the one on the race CLK-GTR. Further the Roadster can be recognized by its different grille, which had a large star in it instead of a small version above it. Two rollbars integrating the cockpit headrests were used not only for structural integrity, but also rollover protection. A total of six CLK GTR Roadsters were built by the company.
H.W.A. also constructed a second variant, known as the CLK GTR Super Sport. These cars were similar to CLK GTRs, yet were powered instead by the newer Mercedes-AMG
7.3L V12 which had been in use in the Pagani Zonda
and Mercedes-Benz SL73 AMG
. Producing 664 PS and 786 newton metre. The car also gained an additional front splitter for better stability at high speeds. Only 2 was built with the 7.3L engine: chassis #03,chassis #17.
In total, 26 CLK-GTR production road versions were constructed. Of these, 20 are coupes and six are roadsters. Two of these were equipped with RHD steering: one coupe (silver exterior/tartan interior) and one roadster (dark silver exterior/magenta interior). These were constructed for Hassanal Bolkiah
, the Sultan of Brunei. Both RHD cars were auctioned on 28 October 2009 by RM Auctions in London. The roadster fetched £616,000 ($973,834 USD) and the coupe £522,500 ($824,609 USD).
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
and race car that was built by Mercedes-AMG
Mercedes-AMG
Mercedes-AMG GmbH, commonly known as AMG, is a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz car company specializing in high-performance luxury cars....
, performance and motorsports arm of Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
. Intended for racing in the new FIA GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
series in 1997, the CLK GTR was designed primarily as a race car, with the road cars necessary in order to meet homologation
Homologation
Homologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
standards being secondary in the car's design. Thus the limited production road-going cars were considered racing cars for the road.
After competing successfully in 1997, the race car was upgraded in 1998 for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
and renamed the CLK LM. Following the construction of the CLK LMs and the CLK GTR road cars, the project would end in 1999 by being replaced by the Mercedes-Benz CLR
Mercedes-Benz CLR
The Mercedes-Benz CLR was a Le Mans Prototype built by Mercedes-Benz for the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans. It became infamous for spectacular crashes during its only competitive outing.-Racing history:...
Le Mans prototype
Le Mans Prototype
A Le Mans Prototype is a type of sports prototype race car most notably used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Series...
.
CLK GTR
As the Deutsche Tourenwagen MeisterschaftDeutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft was a touring car racing series held from 1984 to 1996. Originally based in Germany, it held additional rounds elsewhere in Europe and later worldwide....
/International Touring Car Championship had folded in late 1996, with both remaining competitors Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
and Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo in motorsport
During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private...
leaving due to the high costs of their 4WD designs, Mercedes-Benz had no top series to compete in. With the success of the BPR Global GT Series
BPR Global GT Series
The BPR Global GT Series was a grand tourer-based sports car racing series which ran from 1994 to 1996 before becoming the FIA GT Championship in 1997...
leading to the FIA taking over and turning it into an international series known as the FIA GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
, Mercedes-Benz saw an opportunity to go against manufacturers like Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
and Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
.
Following the design that Porsche had laid out with their 911
Porsche 911 GT1
The Porsche 911 GT1 was a car designed for competition in the GT1 class of sportscar racing, which also required a street legal version for homologation purposes...
homologation special, Mercedes-AMG
Mercedes-AMG
Mercedes-AMG GmbH, commonly known as AMG, is a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz car company specializing in high-performance luxury cars....
was tasked by Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
with creating an extreme racing car that still maintained some elements of a normal street legal car. AMG's designers created a car which shared some design elements with the Mercedes-Benz CLK
Mercedes-Benz W208
The Mercedes-Benz C208/A208 cars were produced from 1998 through 2003. They were sold under the CLK-Class model names. The C208 was a new model based on the W202 C-Class...
, yet had all the standard features of a racing car underneath. A Mercedes-Benz M120
Mercedes-Benz M120 engine
The Mercedes-Benz M120 engine is a V12 automobile piston engine family used in the 1990s and 2000s.The M120 family is built in Stuttgart, Germany. It has an aluminum engine block lined with silicon/aluminum. The aluminum DOHC cylinder heads are 4 valves per cylinder designs...
V12 engine
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....
would be at the heart of the car, mounted behind the cockpit. The bodywork would be made entirely of carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
, and would feature many aerodynamic design elements and cooling openings in order to survive on the race track.
To test the CLK GTR before the first chassis were built, Mercedes-AMG actually took an unusual measure. Through secrecy, Mercedes-AMG was able to purchase a disused McLaren F1 GTR
McLaren F1 GTR
The McLaren F1 GTR was a racing variant of the McLaren F1 sports car first produced in 1995 for grand touring style racing, such as the BPR Global GT Series, FIA GT Championship, JGTC, and British GT Championship. It is most famous for its overall victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans where it...
, the defending BPR GT series champion, from Larbre Compétition
Larbre Compétition
Larbre Compétition is a French auto racing team founded in 1988 by Jack Leconte. Based at the Circuit du Val de Vienne in La Vigeant, Larbre has had considerable success in the Porsche Carrera Cup, French GT Championship, and international FIA GT Championship...
. This purchase first allowed Mercedes-AMG to see the kind of lap times that their competitors could run, to serve as a measurement of the CLK GTRs abilities. However, more importantly, Mercedes-AMG set about modifying this F1 GTR by attaching bodywork that was meant to go on the CLK GTRs. This allowed Mercedes-AMG to be able to perfect the aerodynamics of the car before it had even been built.
Upon completion of the first two prototypes a mere 128 days after the initial drawings had been made, the CLK GTRs were entered into the 1997 FIA GT Championship season
1997 FIA GT Championship season
The 1997 FIA GT Championship season was the first season of FIA GT Championship motor racing. It featured a series for Grand Touring style cars broken into two classes based on power and manufacturer involvement, called GT1 and GT2...
, debuting at the season-opener at one of Mercedes-Benz's home tracks, the Hockenheimring
Hockenheimring
The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix...
. Unfortunately the new cars were not able to shine, as brake problems eliminated one car after five laps, and the other finished over 20 laps behind the winning McLaren. However by the next round at Silverstone, the CLK GTR began to show its pace, finishing less than a second behind the winning McLaren. By the fourth round, returning to Germany for the Nürburgring
Nürburgring
The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
, a third CLK GTR was added to the team. In this race, Mercedes-Benz successfully outperformed the fleet of McLarens, taking first and second places. The team would finish out the season with five more wins, at A1-Ring, Suzuka
Suzuka Circuit
, Suzuka Circuit for short, is a motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Mobilityland Corporation, the subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd..-Introduction:...
, Donington
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship...
, Sebring, and Laguna Seca
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a paved road racing track used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, originally constructed in 1957 near both Salinas and Monterey, California, USA....
, allowing them to secure the team championship as well as the drivers championship for Bernd Schneider
Bernd Schneider (racecar driver)
Bernd Schneider is a retired racing driver from Germany.-Early years:Schneider was named after legendary driver Bernd Rosemeyer, winner of the 1936 European Drivers Championship. Introduced to karting at an early age, he displayed an obvious talent for racing...
.
1998 FIA GT Championship season
The 1998 FIA GT Championship season was the 2nd season of FIA GT Championship. It is a series for Grand Touring style cars broken into two classes based on power and manufacturer involvement, called GT1 and GT2...
season before upgrading to the CLK LM. However privateer team Persson Motorsport would campaign two CLK GTRs throughout the entire season, taking a best finish of second at Oschersleben
Motorsport Arena Oschersleben
The Motorsport Arena Oschersleben is long race track with a width of 11 – 13 meters and elevation changes of 23 metres. The circuit is located in Oschersleben, Börde , Northern Germany...
before finishing the year third in the teams championship.
Initially the CLK-GTR's V12 engine produced approximately 600 hp before developments during the 1997 season increased this to 630 hp. Persson Motorsport's CLK GTRs remained at this power output as Mercedes-AMG had moved to development of the V8 in the CLK LM.
CLK LM
After conquering the FIA GT Championship, Mercedes-Benz set its sights on competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
in , which it had not been at since . However, Le Mans presented a different challenge from that offered in FIA GT, in that the race distances were nearly one tenth the distance covered at Le Mans. Therefore Mercedes-AMG
Mercedes-AMG
Mercedes-AMG GmbH, commonly known as AMG, is a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz car company specializing in high-performance luxury cars....
set about altering the CLK GTR in order to meet the new demands required at Le Mans.
First and foremost, Mercedes-AMG decided that the M120 V12 would not be up to the task of running for 24 hours. It was decided instead that Mercedes would actually return to an engine they had used in Group C
Group C
Group C was a category of motorsport, introduced by the FIA in 1982 for sports car racing, along with Group A for touring cars and Group B for GTs....
in the late 1980s, the M119
Mercedes-Benz M119 engine
The Mercedes-Benz M119 was a V8 automobile engine produced from 1989 through 1999. It was available in 4.2 L; 5.0 L; and 6.0 L displacements. It was a double overhead cam design with 4 valves per cylinder and variable valve timing on the intake side...
V8
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
. Abandoning the turbocharger
Turbocharger
A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
s that the M119 had used in Group C and enlarging the displacement, Mercedes-AMG felt that the M119 would have better reliability at speeds while still performing the same amount of power as the M120 due to air restrictor regulations.
Satisfied with the engine, Mercedes-AMG also set about altering the bodywork to better cope with the high speeds of Le Mans. The nose was lowered, with the large front brake cooling ducts on the sides of the nose being removed and replaced by a single, large opening in the front of the car. The roof of the car was also lowered and a new engine air intake designed. Various other mechanical tweaks were also performed. This new car would become known as CLK LM, standing for Le Mans.
Debuting at Le Mans, the CLK LMs were immediately quick. The two car team took the pole, ahead of custom built open cockpit Le Mans prototype
Le Mans Prototype
A Le Mans Prototype is a type of sports prototype race car most notably used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Series...
s. However, Mercedes-AMG's belief that the M119 V8s would be better suited to Le Mans was proven wrong as both cars suffered engine failures within the first few hours of the race, leaving Mercedes-Benz dejected.
Returning to FIA GT, Mercedes-Benz replaced their older CLK GTRs with the new CLK LMs and saw greater success. The two cars easily won every remaining race, including six 1-2 finishes. This handed Mercedes-Benz the teams championship again, while Klaus Ludwig
Klaus Ludwig
Klaus Ludwig is a German race driver.- Biography :Unlike Hans-Joachim Stuck, Rolf Stommelen, Harald Ertl, Hans Heyer and Jochen Mass, he has never raced in single seaters...
and Ricardo Zonta
Ricardo Zonta
Ricardo Luiz Zonta is a Brazilian racing driver.-Early career:Born in Curitiba, Brazil, Zonta began karting in 1987, winning his first race shortly thereafter. The following year, he was runner-up for the Curitiba Karting Championship, and in 1991, he won the title...
would share the drivers championship.
For the 1999 season, no competitor attempted to enter the GT1 class in FIA GT except for Mercedes-Benz, forcing the FIA to cancel the class, similar to the DTM/ITC two years earlier. Mercedes-Benz thus turned to constructing an all-new car to overcome their failure at Le Mans. No longer forced to build a racing car that could also be a road car, Mercedes-AMG set about creating the Mercedes-Benz CLR
Mercedes-Benz CLR
The Mercedes-Benz CLR was a Le Mans Prototype built by Mercedes-Benz for the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans. It became infamous for spectacular crashes during its only competitive outing.-Racing history:...
.
The CLK LM's V8 engine produced approximately 600 hp, allowing it to reach speeds up to 330 km/h (205 mph) in testing for the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans. Mercedes-AMG claimed a virtual top speed of 335 km/h (208 mph). In total, four racing variant CLK-LMs were constructed and one road-going version was built to comply with the 1998 FIA regulations.
Road car
Even though the FIA GT1 class was cancelled for 1999, Mercedes was obliged to finally deliver the required 25 road cars they had promised. An initial road car was built in 1997 in order to meet initial FIA requirements, but this car was retained by Mercedes. For the other 25 road cars, each was built by AMGMercedes-AMG
Mercedes-AMG GmbH, commonly known as AMG, is a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz car company specializing in high-performance luxury cars....
at the Affalterbach
Affalterbach
Affalterbach is a municipality in the Ludwigsburg in Baden-Württemberg in Southern Germany, near Stuttgart.Affalterbach is known for being the current location of Mercedes-AMG....
factory between winter of 1998 and summer of 1999 and differed only slightly from the race car. All of the 25 CLK GTRs ever built were left hand drive except for one which was specially built for Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah
Hassanal Bolkiah
General Haji Sir Hassan al-Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah GCB GCMG is the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the 29th Sultan of Brunei and the first Prime Minister of Brunei Darussalam...
of Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
. Driver comfort and refinements were at a minimum in the construction of the road cars as Mercedes-Benz wished to not only offer customers a true race car, but also to attempt to keep the price low. Leather was used in the interior and an air conditioning system was offered. Two small storage lockers were also built underneath each upward swinging door. Traction control was also added for driver safety.
The car retained much of the design of the original CLK GTR instead of the CLK LM, including the V12 and many stylistic elements. One key difference was the rear wing, which used a hoop-style integrated wing in place of the separate racing wing. From the otherwise unrelated standard production Mercedes-Benz CLK
Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
The Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class is a mid-size rear-wheel drive coupé/convertible . While it was based on the W202 and W203 platforms of the C-Class, its styling cues, engine, and price range are closer to that of the E-Class, with Mercedes-Benz slotting the CLK as a coupé version of the W210 and W211...
, only the instrumentation, front grille and the four headlamps were used.
Ilmor Engineering provided enhancements to the engine, increasing displacement from 6.0L to 6.9L. This increase in displacement coupled with the removal of a racing air restrictor allowed for 612 PS and torque to 775 newton metre. Mercedes-AMG claimed 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph).
The Guinness Book of World Records recorded the CLK GTR as the most expensive production car ever built at the time, with a price of $1,547,620(USD).
Variants
H.W.A. also constructed a second variant, known as the CLK GTR Super Sport. These cars were similar to CLK GTRs, yet were powered instead by the newer Mercedes-AMG
Mercedes-AMG
Mercedes-AMG GmbH, commonly known as AMG, is a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz car company specializing in high-performance luxury cars....
7.3L V12 which had been in use in the Pagani Zonda
Pagani Zonda
The Pagani Zonda is a sports car built by the Italian manufacturer Pagani. It debuted in 1999, and production ended in 2011. As of June 2009, 206 Zondas had been built, including test mules. Both 2-seat coupe and convertible versions have been produced. Construction is mainly of carbon...
and Mercedes-Benz SL73 AMG
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
The Mercedes-Benz SL is a grand tourer manufactured by Mercedes since 1954. The designation SL derives from the German Sport Leicht, or Sport Lightweight — and was first applied to the 300SL 'Gullwing' named also after its gullwing or upward-opening doors.The term SL-Class refers to the...
. Producing 664 PS and 786 newton metre. The car also gained an additional front splitter for better stability at high speeds. Only 2 was built with the 7.3L engine: chassis #03,chassis #17.
In total, 26 CLK-GTR production road versions were constructed. Of these, 20 are coupes and six are roadsters. Two of these were equipped with RHD steering: one coupe (silver exterior/tartan interior) and one roadster (dark silver exterior/magenta interior). These were constructed for Hassanal Bolkiah
Hassanal Bolkiah
General Haji Sir Hassan al-Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah GCB GCMG is the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the 29th Sultan of Brunei and the first Prime Minister of Brunei Darussalam...
, the Sultan of Brunei. Both RHD cars were auctioned on 28 October 2009 by RM Auctions in London. The roadster fetched £616,000 ($973,834 USD) and the coupe £522,500 ($824,609 USD).