More than US $ 10 million for a 1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR
Of the same caliber as the Porsche GT1 and Mclaren f1, the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR 1998 is the embodiment of all the excesses an automaker can do to enter a race.
Depending on the race in which a manufacturer wishes to enter, he must often comply with certain obligations. You can’t just put a racing car in competition if there isn’t a production version. This is also one of the basic principles of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). If we find the vehicle on the track, we must be able to see it on the road as well.
While in the case of NASCAR it’s easy enough to find a Toyota Camry, it isn’t always the case in other events. This was notably the case with the FIA GT Championship race in which Mercedes-Benz decided to register. The goal was to go hunting for Porsche GT1 (993) and McLaren F1 GTR. However, just like Porsche and McLaren, for homologation the organization demanded a minimum production of the vehicle not for the track, but also for the road.
From there were born some 25 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR 1998 divided into 20 coupes like the one at auction and only 5 convertibles. Either way, these Mercedes-Benzes are worth a fortune, but roadsters obviously have a clear selling edge.
Even if you consider that there are 20 coupes, auctioneer Gooding & Company believes that the number 9 racing car that will come under his hammer has the capacity to sell for between 8.5 and 10 million US dollars. New in 1998, it was said to be worth about US $ 1.5 million. In 2018, auctioneer RM Sotheby’s sold this car for US $ 4,515,000 during its operations in Monterey, California.
This means that the evaluation of this 1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR could have more than doubled in the space of 3 years. To this day, chassis number 9 remains 100% original and displays less than 1,500 kilometers on the odometer.
Particularly, once Mercedes-Benz announced its intention to embark on this new car racing series, the GT1, AMG workshops had only 4 months to manufacture the car from the tires to the roof. Not only did the car have to be created, but all the performance tests had to have been done as well.
In terms of mechanics, AMG opted for a 6.9-liter V12 with an output of 604 horsepower at 6800 rpm and a torque of 572 pound-feet. Getting from 0 to 100 km / hour was only 3.8 seconds. Surprisingly, today, the GLC 63 S SUV takes the same time to perform the same exercise! The top speed is, however, considerably higher on the GTR side at 344 km / hour.
