Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR: Le Mans-inspired road-going racer up for auction

The late 1990s was an exciting time in the motorsport world. Formula 1 cars were becoming more extreme, the World Rally Championship saw the rise of future champion Richard Burns, and the British Touring Car series was gaining the interest of F1 teams as a technology test bed.

The endurance racing scene was also booming, with manufacturers spending millions to develop specially designed hypercars that could travel at blistering speeds over long distances.

However, the FIA Championship series organisers mandated that for those cars to be be eligible for the premier GT1 category, a minimum of 25 examples had to be produced. This also applied for entry into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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Instead of adapting existing production vehicles for motorsport, manufacturers developed racing machines and modified them for road use, resulting in some truly radical cars. Notable examples include the Porsche 911 GT1, McLaren F1 GTR and Lotus Elise GT1.

Arguably the most iconic of them all, though, was the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR road car - and one of them is now going under the hammer at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale in California, taking place on 24 and 25 August.

The road-going version of the CLK GTR debuted in 1998, a year after its racing counterpart grabbed the FIA GT Championship crown with German driver Bernd Schneider behind the wheel.

Like the competition machine, the production version is powered by a naturally aspirated V12 engine, although Mercedes upped the road-legal car’s capacity from 6.0 litres to 6.9 litres. The larger engine produces 596bhp and 572lb-ft of torque, helping the road-going racer reach a top speed of around 214mph.

Coupled with the engine is a six-speed sequential manual gearbox, with the driver pulling paddles on either side of the steering wheel to change gear.

It’s a common system on modern cars, but the transmission type was primitive back in 1998. With the CLK GTR, the driver has to push the clutch pedal before changing gear, as with conventional manual cars.

The example heading to the Sotheby’s auction is chassis No. 9 of 20 coupe versions produced. Six drop-top bodied cars were also made to surpass the minimum production run of 25 cars for GT1 homologation.

With only 894 miles on the clock, the CLK GTR going up for sale is completely original. The car was inspected by German motoring specialist Marc Kienle of Kienle Automobiltechnik in November, followed by an analysis of the CLK GTR’s paintwork to check for the smallest of paint defects.

Given its pristine condition, the CLK GTR is expected to sell for between $4.25m and $5.25m (£3.25m and £4m) - pricey, undoubtedly, but for car collectors looking for an ultra-exclusive vehicle with links to one of the greatest eras of motorsport, it may prove worth every penny.

Image credit: RM Sotheby’s