On 17 November 2023, Sotheby’s is holding a brilliant public sale in Las Vegas the place 32 supercars are up on the market. Unusually, amongst them are two Mercedes CLK GTRs, a coupe, and a roadster. Mercedes solely constructed 20 Mercedes CLK GTR Coupe items and 5 Mercedes CLK GTR Roadster items.
Picture: Sotheby
The Mercedes CLK GTR is a really uncommon automotive. Solely 20 coupe and 6 roadsters have been constructed. Due to this fact, it’s uncommon that two Mercedes CLK GTRs are bought on the similar public sale. We discuss Sotheby’s public sale that may happen in Las Vegas on November 17, the place, amongst others, a Bugatti Veyron, a Ferrari la Ferrari Aperta, an F40 GT, a Mercedes 300 SL Roadster, a Porsche 959, 918 Spyder, Carrera GT, and a McLaren Elva are additionally up on the market.
The Mercedes CLK GTR racing model was developed in file time, with solely 128 days elapsing between the primary sketch and the primary check on the Jarama circuit by driver Bernd Schneider in April 1997.Based on FIA laws for the GT1 class, 25 items needed to be constructed and homologated for avenue use. Nevertheless, the GT1 class was abolished after solely two seasons (1997, 1998), and Mercedes constructed 25 automobiles after the FIA dropped the GT1 class. The coupe model was inbuilt 20 items from 1998 to mid-1999 by AMG in cooperation with HWA in Affalterbach, price 3 million DM, and was the costliest automotive on the earth on the time. The six roadsters have been constructed after 2000.
The automotive has solely the headlights and taillights in widespread with the CLK as a result of in any other case, it’s a pure racing automotive with a carbon-fiber physique measuring 4.86 meters lengthy and only one.10 meters excessive. Many elements have been taken straight from racing automobiles, such because the suspension and six-speed sequential transmission. The guts of the CLK GTR is the 6.9-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine (M297) that develops 631 ps (622 hp) and sends energy to the rear wheels.
There have been additionally a number of items that had a 7.3-litre V12 engine creating as much as 720 ps. These have been automobiles with chassis numbers 03 and 17. Later, the 7.3-litre V12 engine changed the 6.9-litre V12 in automobiles with chassis numbers 02 and 13.
1999 Mercedes CLK GTR with chassis quantity 7
The coupe model supplied at Sotheby’s Las Vegas public sale is chassis quantity 7, produced in 1999, and has solely 7,015 km on board. The automotive was delivered to Switzerland on Might 12, 1999, and was initially registered in St. Gallen with registration quantity SG 110706. The primary proprietor solely stored it till November 2010, after which it ended up in a German non-public assortment till 2017.
In 2017 it was bought through specialist Kienle Automotive to a brand new proprietor, at which level the mileage indicated 6,376 km (3,961 miles). Through the interval 2010-2017, whereas within the German non-public assortment, the Mercedes CLK GTR was maintained by SPS Automotive, a specialised motorsports agency based mostly in Willsbach, Germany, based in 2003 by former HWA AG workers. Of be aware in a protracted listing of service gadgets was the substitute of its gas bladder, a brand new hearth extinguisher, and a brand new set of customized OZ alloy wheels.
In October 2017, the automotive was imported to the U.S. and registered by JK Applied sciences. After being a part of one of many world’s most interesting non-public collections of contemporary racing sportscars for nearly 5 years, the Mercedes CLK GTR was bought by the present proprietor in April 2021, at which era it had 6,448 km (4,006 miles) on board. He took the choice to carry out a radical mechanical overhaul that price a minimum of 71,000 USD. Along with the mechanical overhaul, a number of modifications have been made to go well with the brand new proprietor’s necessities. The motive force’s seat, the roof lining, and the sports activities exhaust system have been modified. At this level, the automotive once more acquired a brand new gas bladder.
The brand new proprietor exhibited the automotive at numerous occasions, such because the Amelia Island Concours d’Magnificence and the Lime Rock Historics. The automotive additionally participated in what was referred to as the “Final Group Take a look at” video sequence made by Carfection Movies alongside its rivals McLaren F1 GTR (chassis quantity 037) and Porsche 911 GT1 (chassis quantity 005).
The automotive up for public sale is one in every of solely three examples with tartan gabardine leather-based upholstery paying homage to the successful Mercedes 300 SLR within the Mille Miglia with Stirling Moss on the wheel.
Sotheby’s public sale home estimates the sale worth between $8 and $9 million (7.47-8.4 million euro).
2002 Mercedes CLK GTR Roadster with chassis quantity 03
The Roadster model is even rarer, with solely six items constructed. The instance at public sale has chassis quantity 3 and has solely 170 km on board, being virtually new. The engine is just like that of the coupe, however the engine air consumption has been moved to the aspect on account of the truth that it may now not be mounted on high of the roof because of the lack of a roof. Additionally, the radiator grille and trunk lid have a unique design than the coupe, and the outside mirrors are mounted on the doorways.
The automotive was imported into the U.S. in April 2011 with solely 25 km (16 miles) on board. In March 2013 it was bought to a sports activities automotive seller in Arkansas who referred to as two technicians from SPS Automotive Efficiency in Wilsbach, Germany, to carry out an entire overhaul regardless that the automotive had solely 108 km (67 miles) on board. The automotive was then bought shortly to a different seller in North Carolina the place it remained till April 2015, when it was resold to its present proprietor, a UK collector. At this level, the automotive had 170 km (106 miles) on it.
Sotheby’s public sale home estimates the sale worth between $10.5 and $13 million (9.8 – 12.14 million euro).
