Few late‑90s machines blur the line between pit lane and public street quite like the Mercedes‑Benz CLK GTR. Conceived in a white‑knuckle 128‑day sprint to hammer Porsche and McLaren in the brand‑new FIA GT Championship, this carbon‑fiber missile carried a sticker just north of $1.5 million—the highest in the world at the time—and still sits on every serious collector’s bucket list.
Fast Facts at a Glance
| Spec | Road‑Car Figure |
|---|---|
| Engine | 6.9‑liter AMG M297 V‑12 |
| Output | 612 hp / 572 lb‑ft |
| 0–62 mph | 3.8 seconds |
| Top Speed | 214 mph (344 km/h) |
| Production | 20 Coupes & 6 Roadsters |
| Launch Price | $1.5 Million (1998) |
The Birth of a Legend: AMG’s 128‑Day Moon‑Shot
The FIA GT1 Arms Race
When Porsche unveiled the 911 GT1 for 1996, Mercedes‑AMG needed a response—fast. The brief: build a weapon that resembled the showroom CLK in lights and grille only, then win everything.
Buying a McLaren as a Test Mule
AMG famously purchased a McLaren F1 GTR, re‑skinned it to accelerate aero testing, then returned the car to stock and sold it—an audacious hack that shaved months off development.
Designed in Just 128 Days
From first CAD model to running prototype, the CLK GTR took only 128 days—an engineering sprint almost unheard of before or since.
Engineering Marvel: From Track to Street
Carbon‑Fiber Honeycomb Monocoque
Race‑partner Lola supplied a carbon‑fiber tub wrapped around an aluminium‑honeycomb core. The V‑12 is a fully stressed member, meaning the engine itself forms part of the chassis, just like Formula 1 cars.
6.9‑Liter AMG V‑12 Fury
The M297 V‑12, bored and stroked from the M120 block, ditched GT‑racers’ air restrictors for road duty—uncorking 612 hp, a 9,000 rpm redline, and a soundtrack that rivals the Lamborghini Countach for pure drama.
Race‑Bred Suspension & Sequential Gearbox
Pull‑rod double wishbones, carbon brakes, and an X‑Trac six‑speed sequential (with a tiny foot clutch for launches) bring Le Mans tech right to suburbia.
Performance That Shocked the ‘90s Supercar Scene
- 0–62 mph in 3.8 s—matching the era’s quickest superbikes.
- 214 mph V‑max—beating the Ferrari F50 and sitting just below the McLaren F1’s legendary 221 mph.
- Downforce so aggressive the car could out‑corner its own successor, the CLK LM, on tighter circuits.
Homologation Special: 26 Road Cars to Rule Them All
FIA rules demanded 25 street‑legal examples; Mercedes built 20 coupés and 6 roadsters between late 1998 and 1999. The open‑top version shares identical running gear, only amplifying the unicorn factor. Recent sales through RM Sotheby’s top $10 million.
Racing Dominance: Back‑to‑Back FIA GT Crowns
The works CLK GTR won 17 of 22 races across the 1997 and 1998 seasons, locking down consecutive team and driver titles before GT1 rules collapsed under skyrocketing costs. Full stats live on the FIA historic database.
Why the CLK GTR Still Matters to Collectors Today
World‑Record Price Tag
At $1.5 million new, the CLK GTR Roadster set a Guinness World Record. Auction prices have since climbed into eight digits.
Rarity & Provenance
With fewer than 30 cars worldwide, each VIN tells its own story—celebrity owners, museum displays, and single‑digit mileage examples.
Influence on Modern Mercedes‑AMG Hypercars
The CLK GTR paved the path for today’s F1‑engined AMG One, proving there’s an appetite for race‑first technology on the road.
Attic Capital Collector Takeaways
- Pedigree wins: a world‑championship trophy cabinet baked into the VIN.
- True homologation: these are not watered‑down tributes—each road car echoes the race car’s scars.
- Market momentum: GT1 icons (McLaren F1, Porsche 911 GT1, CLK GTR) keep rewriting auction records.
- Engineering purity: no turbos, no hybrids—just roaring displacement and raw aero.
Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR
Final Word
The CLK GTR isn’t just a fast Mercedes; it’s the moment Stuttgart decided to own international GT racing—and accidentally produced one of history’s most outrageous road cars. Two decades on, it still checks every Attic Capital box: rarity, provenance, engineering audacity, and a backstory wilder than the exhaust note at 9,000 rpm.
